Man dies of apparent drowning at Lake James

June 26, 2020

By The Associated Press

ANGOLA — An Illinois man died of an apparent drowning Thursday at a northeastern Indiana lake, authorities said.

Rocky R. Rutledge, 61, of Romeoville, Illinois, had been at a sandbar on Lake James near the beach at Pokagon State Park, Indiana Conservation Officer Sgt. Patrick Heidenreich said.

Rutledge was with his family on the sandbar when his boat began to drift away from them, Heidenreich told the Herald Republican.

“He tried to swim after it and retrieve it,” Heidenreich said. “He went under in deeper water.”

A bystander at the sandbar tried to save Rutledge, Heidenreich said. Some nurses in the area began performing CPR until emergency rescue crews took over.

Rutledge was pronounced dead at the scene.







More on DuboisCountyHerald.com