A Henderson man arrested in a deadly personal watercraft crash that left two Las Vegas Valley women dead in Utah has posted bond in the case and is currently out of custody.
Antonio Omari Lewis, 23, was arrested following the Sept. 15 crash at the Sand Hallow Reservoir, about 135 miles northeast of Las Vegas near St. George in Southern Utah. Authorities said Lewis was operating a personal watercraft with two women and a dog on it when Lewis, according to his arrest report, told authorities he accelerated the craft and turned sharply.
He said the craft was hit by a wave and everyone fell off and into the water. Lewis and the two women were not wearing personal flotation devices, authorities said.
The two women were found dead in the reservoir by search teams. The Utah Medical Examiner’s Office has refused to release their names, but they are identified online in a GoFundMe and in social media posts as sisters Mariah and Marissa Thomas.
The GoFundMe is raising money for their family and indicates the women had ties to Cleveland, where a memorial service is planned for Monday.
“A message from Mommy: Angels for forever Now!” The GoFundMe reads. “It has been Amazing being your Mother. You Ladys lived. You were bigger than life and made being a ‘mommy’ easy. Mariah and Marissa thank you, babies, for doing the most and making success and happiness easy.”
Attempts to contact family members of the Thomas sisters were not immediately successful.
Online Utah court records show Lewis faces two felony counts of automobile homicide and multiple other misdemeanor counts related to operation of a personal watercraft. Authorities said in an arrest report that he was suspected of being intoxicated at the time of the crash, but the online records do not show any DUI-related charges as of Friday morning.
The court records show Lewis posted a $20,000 bond on Monday and that he is no longer in custody. The records also indicate that Lewis did not qualify for the appointment of a public defender and that he intends to hire a private attorney. There was no listing for an attorney representing Lewis as of Friday.
Contact Glenn Puit at gpuit@reviewjournal.com.
