WASHINGTON COUNTY, Maine — Multiple agencies are searching for a missing fisherman whose canoe was found drifting on Pocumcus Lake.
Lowell Wheaton, 62, of Old Town was last in contact with his family on the afternoon of April 27 as he was headed to his camp on the lake, according to a release from the Maine Warden Service.
Around noon on April 28, the Maine Warden Service was contacted after a canoe with an outboard motor attached was found drifting on the lake, the release stated.
Since that time, the Maine Warden Service, Maine Forest Service, Passamaquoddy Game Wardens, Maine State Police, and others have searched the lake and surrounding shorelines and roads, officials said.
The Maine Warden Service Dive Team had been searching Pocumcus Lake with a remotely operated vehicle and scuba divers since late afternoon on April 29. In an update on May 8, the Maine Warden Service said those search efforts had ended. Plane and boat searches, however, are ongoing.
"After completing an extensive search with divers and sonar for a week, we have covered the most likely areas and now have switched to flights over the lake, and periodic searches by staff patrolling the lake," Maine Warden Service spokesperson Mark Latti said in an update.
Game wardens have also searched area camps and roads for signs of Wheaton, the release stated.
Pocumcus Lake is approximately 5 miles long and 1 mile wide, with a maximum depth of 44 feet. It's part of the West Grand Lakes area, as Sysladobsis Lake flows into Pocumcus Lake, and Pocumcus Lake flows into West Grand Lake.
Shane Oliver owns a camp on Bottle Lake, a lake that abuts Junior Lake and leads into the West Grand Lake watershed. He said being out on a boat at this time of year comes with its hazards, including the cold.
“The cold water is the biggest thing. The ice has been out maybe three weeks. Water is very cold. Probably 10 minutes at most anyone could survive and swim.”
Oliver added, “It’s very upsetting,” and tried to rationalize what could have been Wheaton’s struggle.
“The normal thing is to stay with the boat, getting into the canoe with the motor on it upside down is a little hard. Because of the training I've had, Boys Scouts, etc., gives [you] a better idea,” Oliver said.
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