TOWN OF MONROE – A 72-year-old Juneau County man died in Lake Petenwell while attempting to rescue an injured eagle, according to the Adams County Sheriff’s Office.
At 1:01 p.m. June 24, the Sheriff’s Office received a report of a missing person who was last known to be at the boat launch on Brown Deer Drive at Lake Petenwell in the Adams County town of Monroe. The caller said the missing man was going to rescue an injured eagle he had found the previous day and reported to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and a nearby raptor rescue facility. The man had been missing since leaving home around 5 p.m. June 23 when he told a family member he was going to rescue the injured eagle, according to a news release from the Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies located the missing man’s locked vehicle at the boat launch along with equipment on scene that could be used in the rescue of an injured animal, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Officials used drones, watercraft and a ground search to locate the missing man at 6:15 p.m. June 24 just off shore with a large fishing net and eagle feathers located nearby. The man was not wearing a life jacket, according to the release.
An investigation revealed the man had become stuck in underwater debris and that he had succumbed to drowning, according to the report.
The Sheriff’s Office identified the man as Robert R. Marti, 72, of Necedah.
The Adams County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Adams County Fire District, Big Flats Fire Department, Sauk County Sheriff’s Office, Juneau County Sheriff’s Office, Adams County Emergency Department and the Adams County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Erik Pfantz covers local government and education in central Wisconsin for USA TODAY NETWORK – Wisconsin and values his background as a rural Wisconsinite. Contact him at epfantz@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune: Necedah man dies while attempting to rescue eagle in Adams County lake
Reporting by Erik Pfantz, Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune / Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Erik Pfantz, Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune | USA TODAY Network
