Casper Man Pleads Guilty to Boating Under the Influence at Alcova

A Casper man pleaded guilty on Friday to boating under the influence after he was arrested in July at Alcova Reservoir in an altercation in which the boat's owner -- a Casper attorney -- and friends tried to persuade game wardens through verbal pleas and offers of sexual favors to not cite him.

Clinton Ide pleaded guilty in Natrona County Circuit Court to one misdemeanor count of operating a motorboat while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

As part of the plea, two other counts were dismissed: interference with a peace officer and fail to operate watercraft in accordance with buoys/markers, according to the judgment and sentence order signed by Circuit Court Judge Clark Allan of Converse County.

Allan ordered Ide to pay a $750 fine, $70 in court costs, and $150 to the victim's compensation fund.

Ide was sentenced to four days in jail, with credit for two days served.

The judge also suspended his boating privileges for six months.

The case started on July 10 when Ide was driving a boat at Alcova Reservoir with Casper attorney Amy Iberlin and three female passengers, according to an affidavit by Game and Fish Warden Austin Swingholm

Wardens Swingholm and Colten Galambas were patrolling Fremont Canyon when they saw Ide make a significant wake in a "no wake" area.

Galambas signaled Ide to slow down and saw Iberlin stand up and move to the operator's seat.

Swingholm asked Iberlin why she switched with Ide. She initially said Ide was not operating the boat, but then said Ide was operating the boat for a short time.

Ide admitted to Swingholm that he drank several alcoholic beverages. One of the female passengers took the wheel with Swingholm's assistance and he began performing field sobriety tests on Ide, who failed them.

Swingholm then turned on an audio recorder. Iberlin asked Swingholm several times to not cite Ide and said several times that she was an attorney. Iberlin whispered to ide and Swingholm heard her tell him to not submit to a preliminary breath test.

Swingholm also recorded Iberlin trying to persuade him to drop the case and encourage a passenger to have sex with him.

After the boat arrived at the Alcova Marina, Swingholm had Ide sit on a rock and read the national and state rules about boating while impaired. Iberlin was being distractive, and Swingholm told her it was in Ide's best interest if she stopped.

Swingholm cited Iberlin for misdemeanor violations about boat registration and safety equipment violations. and on Oct. 21 she pleaded no contest to two of them.

Later that day, Swingholm took Ide to the Natrona County Detention Center where he refused to submit to a breath test and to a blood draw, resulting in the interference charge.