Leelanau man ordered to pay $4,313, serve probation for West Bay hit-and-run

Mark Mikula, of Leelanau County, was sentenced Thursday, Feb. 19 to six months of probation and ordered to pay $4,313 in restitution after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor of "failure to stop at the scene of an accident" in a West Grand Traverse Bay collision.

Deputies say Mikula was driving an unlit pontoon northbound when it struck a 26-foot boat on West Bay around 1:22 a.m. on Aug. 31. The operator of the struck boat put on a lifejacket, called 911, was rescued by law enforcement, and his boat was towed to shore.

The next day, two paddleboarders reported a damaged pontoon; that vessel was found with pieces of fiberglass from the struck 26-foot boat onboard, deputies reported. The Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office shared photos of damage on social media asking the public for help identifying a suspect, and investigators later determined the pontoon was registered to Mikula before his arrest.

In January, Mikula pleaded no contest to one count of "failure to stop at the scene of an accident"; a second charge described as "failure to stop" was dismissed at sentencing as part of the plea agreement. A Grand Traverse County judge imposed the probation term and restitution on Feb. 19.

Physical evidence recovered during the investigation included fiberglass from the damaged 26-foot vessel aboard the pontoon and visible damage to the pontoon consistent with the collision, deputies said. Officials also described the boat involved as a "pontoon traveling north without any lights on" during the midnight hours on Aug. 31.

Court records and published reports do not provide the name of the operator of the struck boat or details on any injuries beyond the operator being rescued; reports also do not specify whether the $4,313 restitution covers repairs, tow fees, or other costs. The case file shows the sequence from the Aug. 31 collision to the social-media call for tips, the paddleboarders' report, the registration link to Mikula, an arrest, a January no-contest plea, and sentencing on Feb. 19.

The investigation and arrest illustrate how community reporting and sheriff’s office social-media outreach intersected with on-water safety enforcement in Grand Traverse County. The sentencing leaves Mikula on six months' probation and responsible for $4,313 in restitution after the early-morning West Bay crash.