Authorities arrested two men Tuesday in connection with a May boat crash that injured four people at Alcova Reservoir.

The arrests of Seth Linaman and Charles Denney, both 31, followed an investigation by the Natrona County Sheriff's Office and Wyoming Game and Fish. The men were taken into custody a day after a judge issued their arrest warrants, court papers show.

The charges stem from a May 16 crash in the Fremont Canyon area of the reservoir. Witnesses said Linaman's boat went airborne in another boat's wake, made an immediate turn to the right after landing, then struck a canyon wall.

Denney told investigators he had been driving the boat before the crash, but that Linaman had grabbed the steering wheel and pushed the throttle to full around the time the boat hit the wake, according to an affidavit signed by a sheriff's investigator. Another passenger on the boat, Jamie Steward, said she saw Linaman grab the throttle at one point, but she wasn't sure if he grabbed the wheel as well.

All four of the boat's occupants were injured in the crash and taken by ambulance to Wyoming Medical Center. Steward, 27, fractured her femur and broke bones in her face. She spent four days in the hospital and underwent multiple surgeries.

Another passenger, 22-year-old Allen Sosa, suffered a severe cut that ran from his leg to his stomach and required surgery. As of Monday, he was still hospitalized.

The affidavit does not mention the extent of the other men's injuries.

According to investigators, tests taken after the crash showed Linaman had a blood alcohol concentration of .11, while Denney's was .29. In Wyoming, a person with a blood alcohol level of .08 or higher is presumed too drunk to drive.

Steward told investigators all four of the boat's occupants had been drinking vodka and apricot brandy.

A witness who spent time with the boaters before the crash said Linaman had been driving his vessel erratically, according to the affidavit. Steward reported being scared by Linaman's handling of the boat that day.

Investigators say Denney told them Stewart asked to be dropped off because of Linaman's driving, but the others convinced her to stay on the boat until they had traveled through the canyon.

Of the two men, Linaman faces the more serious charges. He faces two counts of aggravated assault and boating under the influence.

Denney is charged with cocaine possession and boating under the influence. After the crash, a bystander and a game warden reported seeing him try to throw a bag of white powder into the reservoir. The bag landed in the boat and a later test showed it contained 20 grams of cocaine, according to the affidavit.

The boat, a 30-foot 1979 Excalibur speed boat, was checked after the crash. No mechanical defects were found, investigators say.

Denney and Linaman weren't arrested in time to appear in court Tuesday.

Reach crime reporter Joshua Wolfson at (307) 266-0582 or at josh.wolfson@trib.com. Read his blog at tribtown.trib.com/JoshuaWolfson/blog.