Man charged in boat accident that killed girl, severely injured WCPSS employee pleads guilty

PITTSBORO, N.C. (WTVD) -- New developments in a deadly boating accident that happened a little over a year ago on Harris Lake in Chatham County.

Monday, Quentin Kight pleaded guilty to five different charges in the boating accident that killed 10-year-old Brooklyn Carroll on Saturday, August 2, 2025 and severely injured a Wake County school employee.

He faces a maximum sentence of 62 years in prison.

Investigators say Kight was driving drunk when he ran over swimmers in the water. Killing the 10-year-old and severely injured Wake County school employee Jennifer Stehle, who survived but underwent an amputation above the knee after the incident.

His girlfriend, AnneMarie Flanigan, who owns the boat, was accused of allowing Kight to operate it while intoxicated. Kight reportedly failed to do field sobriety tests after the crash, and North Carolina Wildlife officers found almost 90 empty alcohol containers either on or outside of his boat.

Court documents obtained by ABC11 in 2025 revealed that Kight had a blood alcohol level of 0.17, more than twice the legal limit.

Flanigan has also been charged in the case. Both Kight and Flanigan served in the U.S. Army.

In October, the family of Brooklyn Carroll filed a wrongful-death lawsuit.

After filing the lawsuit, Brooklyn's parents, Kim Cannon and Matt Carroll, released a statement through their attorney, David Sherlin.

"When we sent Brooklyn to Shearon Harris Reservoir on August 2 with a friend, we never imagined we'd be filing her wrongful death lawsuit just over two months later because of what happened that day," the family said. "We miss Brooklyn more than words could ever convey. But we continue to find ways to discover joy through our family and our friends. That is what Brooklyn would have wanted and how we will continue to honor her memory."

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