SEQUOYAH COUNTY (KFSM) — A man drown during a boating incident Monday (Nov. 20), according to the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety.
The boat’s motor flooded and caused the boat to sink, according to DPS.
Claudie D. Copeland, 69, of Fort Smith was riding as a passenger in a 1996 Stratos operated by Jackie D. Copeland, 46, of Sallisaw, according to the DPS.
Claudie Copeland attempted to swim to the shore, but drowned in the process. His body was recovered six feet from the shoreline in two feet of water, according to DPS.
Jackie Copeland was treated at the scene for minor injuries he sustained while swimming to shore to seek help, according to DPS.
The incident happened about 12:30 p.m. on Robert S. Kerr Reservoir, about 80 yards from the shoreline, near the Applegate Marina.