Intoxicated Boat Driver Sentenced In Crash That Killed Lacrosse Player

SHADY SIDE, MD — A Churchton man who drove a boat at high speed on the West River before it crashed last summer, killing a beloved Anne Arundel Community College student and lacrosse player, was sentenced Wednesday to 18 months in jail.

Shayne Kenneth Smith, 21, was sentenced for last year's boating death of Nick Barton, 21, a Crofton native and a lacrosse player at the college, prosecutors said.

Smith entered a guilty plea to negligent manslaughter by boat on Wednesday, said State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess. He was sentenced to 10 years, with all but 18 months suspended. In addition, Smith was sentenced to five years of supervised probation. He will not be allowed to operate a boat while on probation.

“The defendant made the deadly choice of operating a boat on a busy summer afternoon while not only intoxicated, but as the captain of the boat, with disregard for the lives of six other young people on board,” Leitess said in a statement. “This poor decision took the life of an exemplary college student and lacrosse player who was just beginning his adult life and had a bright future ahead.

“This case reminds us that operating a vessel while impaired can be just as deadly as operating a motor vehicle on the road. The defendant needed to be the one person on the boat who abstained from substances. Instead, he risked everyone’s life by drinking and using marijuana before the crash,” Leitess said.

On June 4, 2022, Smith, while under the influence of drugs and alcohol, was speeding before he crashed a boat into a channel piling on West River near Parish Creek. The crash threw six boaters from the vessel into the water. While five of the boaters resurfaced, Barton was later found dead

Initially, Smith was charged with three felony counts and seven misdemeanors, including negligent manslaughter, negligent boat homicide while under the influence and operating a vessel while under the influence.

College Lacrosse Career

“Our hearts are broken over the passing of Nick Barton,” AACC Athletic Director Duane Herr said last June in a press release. “Nick was a bright spot within the Riverhawk Athletics community who left a lasting impression on everyone he met. It was a privilege watching him grow and flourish over the last three years. Our sincere condolences go to his family, friends, teammates and coaches.”

After graduating from South River High School, Barton played three seasons for the Riverhawks.
He played in 29 career games, tallying 39 goals and nine assists. Barton scored a career-high six goals against Jefferson Community College on March 8, 2020. He played in 12 games in 2021, posting a pair of hat tricks on the season.

“On behalf of the entire college, I want to extend condolences to his family, friends and all of the Riverhawk community,” AACC President Dawn Lindsay said in the release after Barton's deth.

The midfielder was also a Dean’s List student. He twice made the AACC Athletic Director’s Honor Roll.

“Nick was a great player, but that’s not what’s important,” Men’s Lacrosse Head Coach Joe Stanilaus said in the release. “In the three years that I was blessed to know him, he made huge strides in the classroom. Nick made everyone around him better, myself included. I am so grateful our paths crossed. We will forever miss his presence, but will never forget the leader he was becoming.”