LAKE SHERWOOD, W.Va. — A Raleigh County man is dead after a mishap while fishing over the weekend. West Virginia Natural Resources Police say Luke Hess, 40, of Bradley, W.Va. was found dead on the shoreline soon after his boat tipped over at Lake Sherwood Saturday.
“A storm was approaching and they were trying to get in and having trouble with their motor,” said Lt. Tim Coleman of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources Police. “They were trying to put their oar in the oar locks and when they did one of them fell into the water. As they tried to retrieved the oar they tipped the boat over.”
Investigators said Hess’ companion checked soon after they capsized and heard Hess yell he was okay. When the companion made it to shore, Hess’ body was found a few feet downstream.
“We don’t know if the drowned or if he had a medical condition,” said Coleman. “We just don’t know yet.”
Hess’ body has been sent to the state Medical Examiner’s Office in Charleston for an autopsy. Investigators hope it will reveal his cause of death.
Lake Sherwood is located near the Virginia border in Greenbrier County in the Monongahela National Forest. The lake has a 9.9hp limit on boat motors.