(COLDWATER) – A no contest plea has been entered by a person in relation to a fatal boating accident last summer.

Branch County Prosecutor Zach Stempien says Tasha Adams of Fort Wayne plead no contest to a charge of making false statements to deputies about who was operating a boat on the day of the crash.

The Branch County Sheriff’s Office was contacted at 11:15 PM on August 3, 2024 about a collision between two speed boats on Coldwater Lake near Pearl Beach and South Pearl Road.

The Branch County Marine Patrol arrived and determined the incident involved a boat that ended up on top of a second boat. The driver of the second boat, 46 year old Cory Butler of Grabill, Indiana, was flown from the scene to a Kalamazoo hospital where he later died from his injuries.

It was originally told to investigators by Adams and her 15 year old daughter that the daughter, and not Adams’ husband Zachary Adams, had been driving the boat that ended up on top of Butler’s boat.

As the investigation progressed and other individuals were questioned, it was determined that Adams’ daughter was not driving the boat at the time of the accident.

No date has been announced for when Tasha Adams will be sentenced. Charges are also still pending for Zachary Adams.

Stempien says his office will continue working with Butler’s family in the ongoing prosecution of the other individuals that are facing charges in this matter.