A Lane County fishing boat captain is facing nine misdemeanor charges after his crew told police he threatened to kill them over the intercom and deliberately steered the vessel toward two other ships during a bizarre episode off the Oregon coast last month. Anthony Forrest Lee Green, 36, is now jailed on $100,000 bail while his case moves through Lincoln County Circuit Court.
Oregon State Police reported that Green was jailed after what troopers described as a bizarre incident at sea, according to KATU. Police were called to assist the Coast Guard on July 13 near Newport, and the U.S. Coast Guard ultimately escorted the Southern Horizon back into port. Court documents describe Green as sweating, amped up and yelling nonsensical statements as the situation unfolded, and crew members said he intentionally steered toward two different ships during the ordeal.
Threats Over the Intercom
According to court documents, Green made statements about hurting or killing all of his crew members and yelled over the intercom that he would kill them. Crew members told investigators that Green appeared to believe, without basis, that one of the other vessels was stealing fish from him, and that delusion is what allegedly drove him to steer the Southern Horizon toward it. Green also had trouble docking the boat and was unable to follow directions, per the same account.
One incident involving Green was captured on video, though the court records do not detail what that footage shows beyond the broader account of his behavior. Green has been charged with four counts of menacing and four counts of reckless endangerment, in addition to a charge of boating under the influence of intoxicants, on which he was arraigned. Under Oregon law, both menacing under ORS 163.190 and reckless endangerment under ORS 163.195 are Class A misdemeanors, each carrying up to a year in jail and a $6,250 fine, according to Oregon's public statutes database.
Blood Drawn After Denials
Court documents state that Green had used a THC pen earlier in the day but denied taking any drugs, including THC, when questioned. Police did not perform field sobriety tests on scene, but a judge later approved a warrant allowing police to draw blood from Green's arm. Under Oregon's implied consent rules, anyone operating a boat on state waters is considered to have consented to sobriety and chemical testing, and refusal can be used as evidence in court, according to the Oregon State Marine Board.
Boating under the influence of intoxicants is prosecuted in Oregon with the same severity as a motor vehicle DUII. Under ORS 830.325, a conviction is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail, fines as high as $6,250, and the loss of boat operating privileges for one to three years, according to Boat Ed. A BUII conviction also counts as an equivalent prior offense toward future DUII record thresholds and is not eligible for Oregon's court diversion program, which is reserved for first-time motor vehicle DUII offenders.
A Rescue Response From Yaquina Bay
The Coast Guard's response to the Southern Horizon fell to Station Yaquina Bay in Newport, which operates 47-foot Motor Lifeboats built for heavy surf operations, offshore rescues, law enforcement boardings and vessel escorts into the bay, according to DVIDS. That local station is one of the primary search-and-rescue units on Oregon's central coast, and its escort brought the vessel safely back to port after the incident.
Impairment remains the leading contributing factor in fatal boating accidents nationwide, and environmental stressors like wave motion, glare, wind and engine noise can intensify the effects of drugs or alcohol on the water, according to the Oregon State Marine Board. That context underscores why Oregon treats impaired vessel operation with the same statutory weight as reckless endangerment on the road.
A Lengthy Criminal History
Green's record includes a 2015 DUII conviction, for which his license was suspended for one year and he was sentenced to two years of probation, along with a third-degree assault conviction in 2008. He also has an outstanding 2018 Lane County warrant tied to charges including DUII, reckless driving and attempting to elude police. Convictions for reckless endangerment or menacing involving a vehicle or vessel can trigger additional administrative license suspensions under Oregon Department of Transportation rules, compounding whatever penalties come out of the current case.
Beyond the state criminal case, Green's commercial captain career faces separate federal exposure. The U.S. Coast Guard has independent authority under federal regulations to pursue Suspension and Revocation proceedings against a captain's Merchant Mariner Credential for drug impairment, intoxication or dangerous misconduct at sea, a process that runs apart from any outcome in Lincoln County Circuit Court. Federal maritime rules also set a blood alcohol limit of 0.04% for commercial vessel operators and treat visible impairment as a separate federal offense carrying civil penalties of up to $5,000 per day.
Green is due back in court on September 8. It remains unclear what the court-ordered blood test showed, whether federal maritime authorities have opened any credential proceedings against him, or who currently owns the Southern Horizon.
