death at redneck yacht club

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Deadly crash at redneck yacht club raises red flags, a palm harbor man died in an atv crash at the punta gorda attraction over memorial day weekend..

Sherri Lonon , Patch Staff

Check out the video at the bottom of this post to see more about the yacht club.

Tampa Bay area residents who enjoy getting down and dirty in the mud may have to find a new place to play with their ATVs and monster trucks if opponents of Punta Gorda’s Redneck Yacht Club get their way.

Following the Saturday death of Palm Harbor’s Nicholas Kirk, 20, during an ATV accident on the property, opponents are raising concerns about the attraction’s safety to Charlotte County officials.

Find out what's happening in Palm Harbor with free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Redneck Yacht Club calls itself the “world’s most exciting off-road park.” The park sits on more than 800 acres, offering an off-road experience for truck enthusiasts and ATV riders. It also provides on-site camping, Saturday mud truck races and other regular events, according to its website.

The park’s Memorial Day weekend bash, dubbed Memorial Day Mayhem, witnessed the death of Kirk. The ATV driver was on the yacht club’s property when he attempted to pass between two swamp buggies, NBC reported. It seems Kirk’s ATV got hung up in a tow strap, which effectively clothes-lined Kirk and his passenger Marlayan Gomez, 19, of Clearwater, several media outlets reported. Kirk died at the scene while Gomez was hospitalized for injuries.

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While the yacht club has been a fixture for about a decade, residents say a lack of regulations and its bring-your-own-alcohol policy create a dangerous mix.

“There isn’t anything that isn’t allowed there,” former employee Dawn Erickson told WINK news. “The girls run around on ATVs with no clothes on. You see people having sex on top of a truck.”

Charlotte County officials say they are meeting with representatives from the yacht club soon to discuss the deadly incident, but say it’s unclear just how far they can really go in regulating the park a decade after its approval.

Even so, the yacht club has added more security, the station noted. It also has clearly posted park rules on its website . Those rules include mudding only in mudding areas, the required use of safety flags, the use of lights, adherence to posted speed limits and no fighting, among others. The park also prohibits the use of “stripper poles” and enforces quiet time between 2 and 7 a.m. daily.

It is unclear just how soon county officials will meet with park officials or what, if any, actions will result.

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Puppy’s broken leg leads to animal cruelty charges: pinellas sheriff.

Man charged with running over tent at mud park

CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. -- Two people were injured Saturday when deputies say a man used an ATV to run over their tent with them inside at a popular mud park outside Punta Gorda.

24-year-old Brandon Edwards of Palm Harbor was arrested and charged with Aggravated Battery with a Deadly Weapon.

The incident happened Saturday at the Redneck Mud Park on Bermont Road, formerly known as the Redneck Yacht Club.

According to the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office, at 12:40 PM, Edwards and another man got into argument over a broken ice chest.  Edwards returned to his campsite and made remarks to a friend about using his ATV to run over a tent at the scene of the argument.  The friend told deputies he tried to talk Edwards out of the plan, but could not.

Soon after, the two victims were in a tent at the first campsite and heard an ATV approaching before getting run over.

The victims crawled out of the collapsed tent to see Edwards looking back from his ATV, saying "Oh, I didn't know you were in there," and then driving off.

Deputies say the victims had marks that resembled tire tracks on their bodies.

Edwards was arrested and taken to the Charlotte County Jail.

Last Memorial Day weekend at the same mud park, a man died after driving an ATV into a tow cable .

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'I hope you die': What jealous woman, 19, screamed as she 'stabbed woman FIVE times for stopping her beating up ex's new lover at Redneck Yacht Club'

• Investigators said Jessica Hess, of Riverview, Florida, attacked a woman who she saw riding an ATV with her ex-boyfriend in the muddy Punta Gorda park at around 9 p.m. Saturday
• The victim, Amy Rachel, stepped in to stop the fight but Hess allegedly stabbed her repeatedly with a three-inch pocket knife
•  After the attack, witnesses said they heard Hess tell the woman, 'I hope you die' 
• The victim was then airlifted to Lee Memorial Hospital's Trauma Center for treatment and has been released
• Hess was arrested and is facing charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon

By Helen Pow

Published: 13:52 EDT, 10 February 2014 | Updated: 15:38 EDT, 10 February 2014

View comments

Stabbing: Investigators said Jessica Hess, pictured, of Riverview, Florida, stabbed a woman Saturday night

A 19-year-old Florida woman is accused of stabbing a 22-year-old rival five times during a Redneck Yacht Club event, before telling her 'I hope you die.'

Investigators said Jessica Hess, of Riverview, Florida, attacked a woman who she saw riding an ATV with her ex-boyfriend in the muddy Punta Gorda park at around 9 p.m. Saturday.

The victim, Amy Rachel, stepped in to stop the fight, which is when Hess allegedly stabbed her repeatedly with a three-inch pocket knife.

After the attack, witnesses said they heard Hess tell the woman, 'I hope you die.'

Other onlookers didn't realize what had happened until they noticed Rachel bleeding.

She was then brought to the front gate of the park, where EMS responded and eventually she was airlifted to Lee Memorial Hospital's Trauma Center for treatment. She has now been released.

Hess was taken to a Charlotte County hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

After her release, Hess was arrested and is facing charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.

According to NBC News , Hess' former boyfriend said the pair had broken up about a year ago. He said the teen has tried to fight any woman she saw him with since then.

Redneck Yacht Club is a muddy park where thousands of young people come to drive trucks and ATVs and party every year. It's not really a yacht club.

Drinking: Young women and men drink and dance on their four-wheel drive vehicles at the Redneck Yacht Club (stock photo)

Park: The incident happened at Redneck Yacht Club, pictured, in Punta Gorda, Florida. It is a muddy park where thousands of young people go to drive trucks and ATVs and party every year (stock photo)

According to police, the event has its own security, but they hire off-duty deputies for traffic control.

However, the off-duty deputies were just arriving to the park when the stabbing happened.

Visitor CJ Townsend told NBC it isn't a matter of security.

'It's normally a fun time. We drink a little bit, but nothing too crazy. It's just irresponsible people,' he said.

According to the network, some 14 people were airlifted from the park from 2009-2012.

Share or comment on this article: Jessica Hess stabs do-gooder 5 times at Redneck Yacht Club mud party

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One dead, one seriously hurt after atv crash at redneck yacht club.

It all happened at the Redneck Yacht Club

The latest from the rural Charlotte County mud bog:

A 22-year-old woman was stabbed multiple times during a fight while attending a Redneck Yacht Club event Saturday night.

The victim, Amy Rachel, was airlifted to Lee Memorial Hospital, where she was treated and released.

Authorities say the suspect is 19-year-old Jessica Hess, of Riverview, Fla. She was taken to a Charlotte County hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

Investigators say Hess attacked a woman she saw riding on an ATV with her ex-boyfriend. When Rachel tried to step in to stop the fight, Hess allegedly stabbed her with a three-inch pocket knife.

After the attack, Hess allegedly said, "I hope you die."

The numbers here are sort of startling: 14 people have been med-flighted from the park between 2009 and 2012, and just in the past year the sheriff's office has responded to calls from the Redneck Yacht Club ... 331 times. Photographer John Pendygraft and I spent a weekend there back in 2009.

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