Man sentenced in Harris Lake boating crash that killed 10-year-old girl

RALEIGH, NC (WWAY) — A man has been sentenced to more than 12 years in prison for his role in a 2025 boating crash on Harris Lake that killed a 10-year-old girl and seriously injured another person.

Quinten Kight appeared Monday, Aug. 24, in Chatham County Superior Court before Judge Allen Baddour for sentencing after pleading guilty to several charges stemming from the crash.

Kight pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, felony boating while impaired involving serious injury, felony boating while impaired resulting in death, careless and reckless operation of a motorboat and boating while impaired.

The crash resulted in the death of 10-year-old Brooklyn Carroll and injuries to Jenifer Stehle, according to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission Law Enforcement Division.

Judge Baddour sentenced Kight to:

• 144 to 185 months for second-degree murder
• 19 to 35 months for felony boating while impaired involving serious injury

The sentences total a maximum of 220 months, or more than 18 years, if served consecutively. The release does not specify whether the sentences will be served consecutively or concurrently.

After completing his active sentence, Kight will serve 24 months of supervised probation. During that time, he will be prohibited from operating a boat, watercraft or motor vehicle.

The case was presented by District Attorney Jeff Nieman. Stehle and Brooklyn Carroll’s parents, Kim Cannon and Matt Carroll, delivered victim impact statements during Monday’s sentencing hearing.

Wildlife Officer Jacob Pattison, who served as the lead investigator, also attended the proceedings along with other Wildlife officers and Ollie Jeffers with Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

“This case has deeply impacted our community and our officers,” Pattison said. “The preventable tragedy is a reminder of how someone’s actions can have lasting effects.”

Pattison said the case also highlights the importance of having a sober operator both on the road and on the water.

Lieutenant Anna Barbosa, public information officer for the Wildlife Resources Commission’s Law Enforcement Division, said the incident was preventable.

“Our agency’s Law Enforcement Division is tireless in using all the tools available to prevent people from operating vessels while impaired,” Barbosa said, pointing to education, patrol, enforcement and outreach programs including On the Road/On the Water and Operation Dry Water.

North Carolina lawmakers strengthened the state’s boating-while-impaired laws following a 2015 boating tragedy on Lake Norman. The resulting legislation, known as Sheyenne’s Law, elevated boating while impaired from a misdemeanor to a felony.

The Wildlife Resources Commission said the law continues to strengthen the state’s efforts to prevent impaired boating and promote safer waterways.

The agency also pointed to a 2023 Brunswick County case as another example. Matthew Ferster pleaded guilty to three counts of death by impaired boating and was sentenced to 9 1/2 to 18 1/2 years in prison.

Officials say the Harris Lake case serves as another reminder of the potentially devastating consequences of impaired boating.