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Honken finished the 2015-16 college rodeo season ranked seventh in the Big Sky Region for steer wrestling and graduated from NWC with an associate’s degree in criminal justice in May.
“Hoss was one of of the hardest working athletes with a …
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Justin Honken, a recent graduate from Northwest College and member of the Trapper rodeo team, died in a boat collision on Lake Coeur d’Alene in Idaho at about 9:15 p.m. Saturday, according to the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office.
Honken finished the 2015-16 college rodeo season ranked seventh in the Big Sky Region for steer wrestling and graduated from NWC with an associate’s degree in criminal justice in May.
“Hoss was one of of the hardest working athletes with a never give up attitude I’ve ever met,” said NWC barrel racer, goat tier and breakaway roper Morgan Tucker. “Not a day went by that he wouldn‘t make a joke and put a smile on my face, just seeing him made me smile. He will be missed by everyone and not a day will go by that I won’t think about him. I’m going to miss our all night phone calls. RIP Hoss.”
According to the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office, Honken and two other adults were on a 1989 Formula 223LS boat that was either stationary or northbound when it was struck by a southbound boat.
Five adults were traveling south near Threemile Point between Stevens Point and Swede Bay on a 2011 Mastercraft X25 open bow boat. It collided with the Formula boat that Honken was on along with Justin Luhr, 34, of Medical Lake, Washington, and Caitlin Breeze, 21, of Spokane, Washington. Honken and the two other Formula boat passengers are currently missing and presumed drowned, according to the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office.
The five adults from the Mastercraft boat were transported to Kootenai Health for non-life threatening injuries and released.
Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office marine units searched the surface and shoreline of the 49.8 square-mile lake throughout Saturday night and Sunday without success. The search is now focused on the lake’s bottom, which is about 120 feet deep in the area of the crash.
The investigation is still in its preliminary stages. The Sheriff’s SONAR Team is currently assembling and preparing to begin searching the lake bottom for the three.
If anyone has information relating to this investigation, contact the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Recreation Safety Section at 208-446-2250.
