Kiddie pool rafters to face charges

The two Keene State College students who attempted to go over the Ashuelot River falls in an inflatable pool earlier this month have been charged with reckless conduct.

Freshmen Corey Loonan, 18, and Alex Perry, 19, were charged Friday, April 25 and released on personal recognizance. They face up to a year in jail and fines of $2,000 if convicted of the misdemeanor.

The duo, both members of the cross country and track and field teams, were floating down the Ashuelot River on April 18 when they decided to take the pool over the falls. Perry ended up trapped under the falls for at least 10 minutes and had to be rescued by Keene firefighters. Authorities also had to rescue a woman who jumped in to try to save him.

The water rescue was the second this month.

Neither of the students had heard of Mark Boucher, 33, of Ashburnham, Mass., the kayaker who was trapped under the falls on April 6. Boucher had not gone over the falls, but was pulled in when his kayak capsized below them.

Boucher was listed in critical condition at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Hanover, N.H. for almost two weeks after his accident. According to a Web site established by his fiancée to share his progress, Boucher is stable but entering rehabilitative care.