Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office recovered body Sunday afternoon
After being called to the scene of a possible drowning near Bonneau Ferry on Sunday morning, the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office recovered the lifeless body of a fisherman who fell out of his boat earlier in the day.
The 46-year-old angler has been identified as Goose Creek resident Lonnie East IV, who was fishing Sunday morning when a bystander noticed him fall into the water near Cypress Gardens Boat Ramp. The bystander attempted to help, but lost sight of the angler when East went under water and did not reappear. At that point, the bystander called 911.
“A boat close by heard a splash in the water and went over to try and help the person, but he went down,” said Berkeley County Sheriff Duane Lewis.
The 911 call was placed at 9 a.m., and after running into some difficulties, the searchers found East around 4 p.m. High tide, strong current, and low visibility were some of the challenges faced by the recovery team, which was aided by SCDNR, Pimlico Fire Dept., Moncks Corner Rural Fire Dept., and Cordesville Rural Fire Dept.
