KEY WEST, Fla. – A 13-year-old boy charged with speeding away after his boat struck and killed a young snorkeler on Memorial Day has been released to his parents pending an arraignment.
Christopher Ruiz, 13, was released from a juvenile detention center Monday. Under an agreement with prosecutors, he can stay with his family but cannot leave his parents' home in Key Haven except for medical care or counseling.
Ruiz had been scheduled to be arraigned on a vessel homicide charge Monday, but his hearing was postponed until July 24 to give the State Attorney's Office more time to investigate.
The teenager is accused of driving his 18-foot skiff over 6-year-old Charlie Smith, who was snorkeling off Key West with his father and a sibling, and then crashing into the Smiths' boat. The young boy died after he was hit.
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