By Tayleigh Davis - bio | email | twitter
SMITHVILLE, GA (WALB) - A day of fishing turned deadly Saturday afternoon in Lee County. A man drowned in a private pond off McCree Road in Smithville.
It's a sight no family member wants to see. Rescue crews pulled 57-year-old Tommy Lee Owens from the private pond behind a home off McCree road in Smithville.
" It was a very sad situation," said Lee County Chief Deputy Lewis Harris.
Chief Harris says Owens and 68-year-old Clint James Jackson were fishing when their boat got stuck on a stump. When they tried to rock the boat back in forth, it capsized.
The Lee County Sheriff's office, dive team, paramedics, and the fire department responded with a rescue boat around 4:30 p.m. Jackson was able to hold on to the boat in time for crews to rescue and transport him to the hospital.
"The dive team did an excellent job to make a quick recovery," Chief Harris said.
Rescue crews found Owens' body just before 6:00 p.m. The water was about seven feet deep. Deputies don't believe the men were wearing life vests.
We don't know if the men fished their frequently. It's believed they knew the homeowner who lives near the pond. The Sheriff's office is still investigating further details.
Jackson was taken to the hospital to get his body temperature back to normal. He was released and he's expected to be okay.
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