MONROE LAKE- Indiana Conservation Officers are investigating a drowning that occurred yesterday at Monroe Lake, southeast of Bloomington.
At 4:41 p.m., conservation officers were dispatched to the area near Allen’s Creek to assist a person who had fallen from an inner tube while being pulled by a boat and never resurfaced.
Zacharia Sweet, 35, of Mooresville, was riding on a tube with a 6-year-old juvenile when Sweet fell off. Sweet, who was not wearing a life jacket, was unable to make it back to the boat, went underwater, and never resurfaced. The 6-year-old, who was wearing a life jacket, got back to the boat safely.
Conservation officers used side scan sonar and a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to locate Sweet. At 6:21 p.m., Sweet’s body was recovered in 23 feet of water by a conservation officer diver.
The boat operator, James Banfield, 37, of Avon, was arrested for Boating While Intoxicated, a Class C misdemeanor.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Indiana Conservation Officers remind the public to always wear a life jacket when on or near any body of water and to always have a designated operator when boating.
Assisting on the scene were the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Monroe Fire Protection District, and members of the Monroe County Dive Team.
