NEW CASTLE, Ind. — An Anderson man died Sunday after falling from a pontoon boat at a Henry County reservoir, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources said.
After nearly three hours of searching by Indiana Conservation Officers and Henry County Sheriff’s Office divers, Jeff Maxwell, 61, was pulled from Westwood Park Reservoir around 5:13 p.m.
Maxwell and a passenger were fishing on a small pontoon boat when, according to the passenger, Maxwell was at the back of the boat operating the trolling motor and leaned over, causing the boat to tip and both of them to fall out.
Maxwell came to the surface of the water and was holding a “throwable personal flotation device” while the other passenger went to get the boat. That passenger returned with the boat and could not fond Maxwell, the DNR said.
Conservation officer sonar operators located Maxwell in the water. The exact cause of death on Sunday was pending an autopsy.
