A weekend outing on a North Carolina lake turned into a tragic scene when a 10-year-old girl was killed and a woman seriously injured after being hit by a boat operated by an allegedly drunk driver. Now, both the man driving the boat and the woman who owns it are facing serious charges, and the community is left reeling from the devastation.
Prosecutors say Quinten Kight, 40, was drunk when he crashed his girlfriend’s boat into a group of swimmers, killing 10-year-old Brooklyn Caroll and severely injuring 41-year-old school social worker Jennifer Stehle. The crash happened Saturday on Harris Lake, located about 25 miles outside Raleigh.
In court Monday, Chatham County District Attorney Jeff Nieman said authorities found 39 empty beer cans inside the boat, with seven of them appearing to have been “shotgunned”—a method of drinking quickly by puncturing the can. An additional 50 alcohol containers were recovered from the water.
#QuintenKight is accused of driving drunk during a deadly #HarrisLake crash that killed a child severely injured a woman. https://t.co/QNgLug3a3k pic.twitter.com/jgQ4yshAmt
— The North Carolina Beat (@TheNCBeat) August 4, 2025
Investigators say Kight was towing tubers behind the boat when he struck the swimmers. It’s still unclear how many other people were on board at the time.
Brooklyn Caroll, a fifth-grade student at West Lake Elementary School in Apex, died after her leg was severed in the crash, according to officials. Jennifer Stehle, a social worker at the same school, was airlifted to a hospital, where she is currently in stable condition. She lost one of her legs in the crash.
A heartbreaking tragedy on Shearon Harris Lake has claimed the life of 10-year-old Brooklyn Mae Carroll. She was swimming when an impaired boater drove through a group in the water, also critically injuring a woman. https://t.co/U30U5xa9DT
— Newspot24 (@newspot24) August 5, 2025
Authorities tried to perform a field sobriety test on Kight, but prosecutors said he was too impaired to follow basic instructions. Results from a blood test are still pending.
Kight now faces a list of charges, including serious injury by impaired boating, operating a boat in a reckless manner, felony and misdemeanor boating while impaired. Prosecutors also indicated that his charges could be upgraded to second-degree murder depending on the outcome of the investigation.
But the case doesn’t stop with him.
Kight’s girlfriend, 56-year-old AnneMarie Flanigan, who owns the boat, was arrested Tuesday. Authorities allege she knowingly allowed Kight to operate the boat while intoxicated. She’s facing two felony counts and one misdemeanor count of boating while impaired.
Both Kight and Flanigan appeared in court earlier this week. Kight’s bond was set at $250,000. Flanigan’s was higher, at $500,000.
Kight’s legal history is raising further concern. He was previously convicted of driving under the influence in New Mexico in 2009. On top of that, he has pending charges in North Carolina for a 2023 hit-and-run incident in Moore County.
As families and friends of the victims mourn, many are asking how this could have happened—and whether it could have been prevented.
Brooklyn’s death has shaken the Apex community, where she was known as a bright and joyful fifth grader. Stehle, who worked at the same school, is now recovering from life-altering injuries. The emotional impact of the crash is being felt not only by those close to the victims, but by many across the region.
Law enforcement officials say the investigation is ongoing and additional charges may still be filed.
The deadly crash has raised new questions about boating safety, accountability, and how alcohol laws are enforced on the water. Many are watching closely to see what consequences the accused will face—and what can be done to keep tragedies like this from happening again.
