Tony387
Contributor
Sounds right to me...a little prison time will do him good.
Prison for divers death off Catalina - California
- Thread starter DandyDon
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For what sounds like it should have been classified as an accident.
If you and I are diving, and you get into trouble at depth, if I am out of air (the article does not say the guy was but using reasonable person thinking to deduce that) I am not going to be able to save you.
The article reads like it should be a civil suit and not a criminal case.
The prosecutor in the article sounds like someone just out for any conviction.
Tony387
Contributor
The fact that the death occurred during the commission of a crime was significant. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been charged with his death, IMO. That gets you to involuntary manslaughter.
PelagicCreature
New
Mr. Craig Lightner owns a fish marine warehouse in Gardena, California that ships all types of marine animals to stores all over the United States. As referenced in an earlier post, Craig Lightner was convicted for smuggling illegal Clarion Angel fish into the United States from Mexico, and also for smuggling human beings from Mexico into the United States for profit. Craig Lightner was sent to Federal Prison after he pleaded guilty in Federal Court. Craig Lightner is well known in the tropical fish business and his detractors call him the "Weasel."
The victim involved in the dive fatality was apparently a talented and experienced free-diver named Mark Rascon. Mark had never been trained in any type of SCUBA or Hookah type equipment and had never used any type of compressed air underwater. His experience was limited to spearfishing and free diving for abalone up north when in season.
Mark met Craig Lightner on a sports fishing trip in Baja Mexico in 2012. Craig Lightner told Mark he owned a fish collecting and shipping company and the business was very successful. During subsequent conversations, Craig Lightner told Mark he would take him to Catalina where Mark could make 300 to 500 dollars a day to collect Blue Banded Gobies that Craig Lightner could then sell from his business. Mark was told he would make $3.50 per fish, and the fish were easy to catch. Craig Lightner could then sell the same fish for $20 to $25 dollars to tropical fish stores. Craig Lightner knew collecting the fish at Catalina Island was illegal, because he had been warned by fish and game just a few weeks before Mark's death. Mark did not know collecting the fish was illegal and trusted Craig Lightner, because Craig Lightner was an expert.
On July 27th, Craig Lightner paid for Mark's trip to Catalina Island, where Craig Lightner picked up Mark on his private boat named the Happy Hooker. The pair traveled to a shallow reef area on the front side of the island where Blue Banded Gobies and thick kelp forests were found. Craig Lightner provided Mark only basic information on how to dive safely with the hookah system. This included just releasing the hookah system if the hoses or regulator became entangled in the thick kelp, and then swim to the surface. Mark was underweighted so Craig Lightner gave him lead weight and told him to place the weight inside his wetsuit. No redundant gas source was used, and no safety divers or tenders were left on the boat to monitor the money making dive operation.
Craig Lightner and Mark entered the water with tools used and designed by Craig Lightner to collect the Blue Banded Gobies. After a first dive, Craig Lightner and Mark surfaced together and placed the captured fish into a bucket that was on the deck of the boat. Mark took a photograph of the gobies and sent the picture to his wife. After lunch, the pair entered the water again to collect more fish. After catching more fish, Craig Lightner left Mark toward the bottom surrounded by kelp. Craig Lightner got back onto his boat and took off his wetsuit, before Mark had a chance to surface.
Craig Lightner saw Mark reach the surface in trouble, but did absolutely nothing to help Mark while Mark was on the surface. Eventually Mark went back underwater because he was negatively buoyant. Based on a timeline of events, Craig Lightner got rid of the fish and all of the equipment used to catch the fish before he called the US Coast Guard to report his dive partner missing.
Bay Watch Lifeguards responded within minutes of receiving the distress call, and found Craig Lightner fully dressed and talking on his cell phone when they arrived. The lifeguards had to yell at Craig Lightner several times to get him to put the cell phone down and tell them where he last saw his partner. Bay Watch Lifeguards found Mark on the bottom in 80 feet of water without the hookah hose attached to his body. During the rescue attempt, one of the Bay Watch divers suffered DCS and had to be treated at a later time. Bay Watch Lifeguards did their very best to help Mark, but Mark was already dead.
When the Sheriff's Department arrived on scene, Craig Lightner initially did not want to go to the chamber to check on his dive partner. Instead he wanted to go back to Avalon. When interviewed by Sheriff's Detective David Carver, Craig Lightner lied about what had occurred. Craig Lightner was interviewed several times over the next year and each time Craig Lightner's story changed.
The autopsy showed Mark drowned, due to a cerebral gas embolism, and also suffered a small subdural hematoma.
In 2013, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department arrested Craig Lightner at his house for manslaughter after a year long investigation. The Sheriff's Department presented the case for filing to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. The District Attorney's Office filed murder charges against Craig Lightner. In the end, Craig Lightner made the decision to plead guilty to manslaughter charges and was sentenced to four years in State Prison on October 20th.
The victim involved in the dive fatality was apparently a talented and experienced free-diver named Mark Rascon. Mark had never been trained in any type of SCUBA or Hookah type equipment and had never used any type of compressed air underwater. His experience was limited to spearfishing and free diving for abalone up north when in season.
Mark met Craig Lightner on a sports fishing trip in Baja Mexico in 2012. Craig Lightner told Mark he owned a fish collecting and shipping company and the business was very successful. During subsequent conversations, Craig Lightner told Mark he would take him to Catalina where Mark could make 300 to 500 dollars a day to collect Blue Banded Gobies that Craig Lightner could then sell from his business. Mark was told he would make $3.50 per fish, and the fish were easy to catch. Craig Lightner could then sell the same fish for $20 to $25 dollars to tropical fish stores. Craig Lightner knew collecting the fish at Catalina Island was illegal, because he had been warned by fish and game just a few weeks before Mark's death. Mark did not know collecting the fish was illegal and trusted Craig Lightner, because Craig Lightner was an expert.
On July 27th, Craig Lightner paid for Mark's trip to Catalina Island, where Craig Lightner picked up Mark on his private boat named the Happy Hooker. The pair traveled to a shallow reef area on the front side of the island where Blue Banded Gobies and thick kelp forests were found. Craig Lightner provided Mark only basic information on how to dive safely with the hookah system. This included just releasing the hookah system if the hoses or regulator became entangled in the thick kelp, and then swim to the surface. Mark was underweighted so Craig Lightner gave him lead weight and told him to place the weight inside his wetsuit. No redundant gas source was used, and no safety divers or tenders were left on the boat to monitor the money making dive operation.
Craig Lightner and Mark entered the water with tools used and designed by Craig Lightner to collect the Blue Banded Gobies. After a first dive, Craig Lightner and Mark surfaced together and placed the captured fish into a bucket that was on the deck of the boat. Mark took a photograph of the gobies and sent the picture to his wife. After lunch, the pair entered the water again to collect more fish. After catching more fish, Craig Lightner left Mark toward the bottom surrounded by kelp. Craig Lightner got back onto his boat and took off his wetsuit, before Mark had a chance to surface.
Craig Lightner saw Mark reach the surface in trouble, but did absolutely nothing to help Mark while Mark was on the surface. Eventually Mark went back underwater because he was negatively buoyant. Based on a timeline of events, Craig Lightner got rid of the fish and all of the equipment used to catch the fish before he called the US Coast Guard to report his dive partner missing.
Bay Watch Lifeguards responded within minutes of receiving the distress call, and found Craig Lightner fully dressed and talking on his cell phone when they arrived. The lifeguards had to yell at Craig Lightner several times to get him to put the cell phone down and tell them where he last saw his partner. Bay Watch Lifeguards found Mark on the bottom in 80 feet of water without the hookah hose attached to his body. During the rescue attempt, one of the Bay Watch divers suffered DCS and had to be treated at a later time. Bay Watch Lifeguards did their very best to help Mark, but Mark was already dead.
When the Sheriff's Department arrived on scene, Craig Lightner initially did not want to go to the chamber to check on his dive partner. Instead he wanted to go back to Avalon. When interviewed by Sheriff's Detective David Carver, Craig Lightner lied about what had occurred. Craig Lightner was interviewed several times over the next year and each time Craig Lightner's story changed.
The autopsy showed Mark drowned, due to a cerebral gas embolism, and also suffered a small subdural hematoma.
In 2013, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department arrested Craig Lightner at his house for manslaughter after a year long investigation. The Sheriff's Department presented the case for filing to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. The District Attorney's Office filed murder charges against Craig Lightner. In the end, Craig Lightner made the decision to plead guilty to manslaughter charges and was sentenced to four years in State Prison on October 20th.
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Hi PC, and thanks.
So the poacher, smuggler, etc. rigged up a supplied air system, neglected to provide a weight belt to the naive apprentice, tells him to stick the lead inside his suit, doesn't bother helping when the victim shows distressed, dumps evidence and changes clothes before rescuers arrive - then wouldn't get off of his phone. Four years is pretty light since he will probably get out in one.
I see that Clarion Angelfish are found only around the Revillagigedo Islands (Mexico) with some vagrants in nearby waters. One site offers tank bred & raised specimens under 2" for $7,000, current special on some over 2" at half price. A lucrative import for a smuggler not wanting to attract DEA attention.
So the poacher, smuggler, etc. rigged up a supplied air system, neglected to provide a weight belt to the naive apprentice, tells him to stick the lead inside his suit, doesn't bother helping when the victim shows distressed, dumps evidence and changes clothes before rescuers arrive - then wouldn't get off of his phone. Four years is pretty light since he will probably get out in one.
I see that Clarion Angelfish are found only around the Revillagigedo Islands (Mexico) with some vagrants in nearby waters. One site offers tank bred & raised specimens under 2" for $7,000, current special on some over 2" at half price. A lucrative import for a smuggler not wanting to attract DEA attention.
Dr. Lecter
Contributor
I've met talented and experienced free divers. None seemed stupid enough to do what the victim here did. Lightner sounds like a prison shanking for which we should all hope, but I'm not sure how Rascon thought this was a good idea.
njdiver1
Contributor
BugHunterNY
Contributor
He sounds perfect for a new prison idea a dive buddy of mine and I concocted. Hyperbaric security. Granted, there would be some things to figure out, like keeping guards from getting the bends after a shift - but hey, who doesn't want a prison where an attempted escape ends in incredible pain and potential death....
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We've had to deal with such illegal capture out here on the island for decades. Blue-banded gobies and juvenile garibaldi are often targeted. Hope he gets the full four years in prison.
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