Washington Court Decides What to Do with a Drunken Sailor

Earlier this week the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington sentenced Captain Seong Ug Sin, former master of the 590 foot freighter STX DAISY, to 14 days in prison and six months of supervised release for operating the ship into Washington’s Strait of Juan de Fuca while drunk with a blood-alcohol content of over 0.102 percent, more than double the legal limit. The prosecution’s sentencing memo details how the Coast Guard boarding officers found Captain Sin and other crew members intoxicated during a port security boarding; while the defense memo argues that the Captain has suffered, reflected on his errors, found religion, and will likely need to find a new profession. The judge appears to have been swayed by the emotional appeal, and after awarding the limited sentence, further agreed that the Captain could return home to Korea after his release from jail, resulting in a lighter sentence for drunken navigation than those often awarded for DUI’s on the highway.