Drowning in Lake Shelbyville Over the Weekend

(ONE OF THE CREWS WORKING IN LAKE SHELBYVILLE OVER THE WEEKEND TO RECOVER A DROWNING VICTIM NEAR BO WOOD RECREATION AREA)

Dive rescue teams from Effingham County, Shelby County, Moultrie County and Crawford County worked to recover the body of a man from Lake Shelbyville over the weekend.

Effingham County Dive Rescue Team Commander Terry Trueblood said the man, 33-year-old Joseph Mast of Arthur, fell out of a boat late Friday night. The incident occurred near Bo Wood Campground in Moultrie County. Shelby County and Moultrie County dive team members handled the initial call, with Effingham County on standby. Effingham County and Crawford County teams joined the search Saturday afternoon, along with K-9s from Illinois and Missouri.

Trueblood said Mast was one of four people on the boat at the time of the incident. Once it got dark Saturday night, Trueblood took those men out onto the water to recreate the conditions of Friday night. The men dropped buoys and one landed 30 feet from where the body was located. Sonar boats including one provided by a ministry agency were utilized and the body was located a short time later. The body was recovered at about 10:30pm Saturday.

Ironically, an annual mutual aid exercise involving the same four dive teams was scheduled for Sunday at the Altamont Reservoir. The exercise was canceled since the crews participated in the actual event on Friday and Saturday.