UPDATE: 2:43 p.m. - Jan. 18, 2021
The Petroleum County Coroner said on Monday afternoon that the man who died in a weekend accident on Fort Peck Lake has been identified as Roger F. Schaad of Rexford.
Schaad was 72 years old.
An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 19, in Billings with the State Medical Examiner to officially determine the cause and manner of death.
(first report: 8:44 a.m. - Jan. 18, 2021)
The Petroleum County Sheriff's Office has confirmed that a man drowned in Fort Peck Lake on Saturday.
Four men were fishing on the lake near Crooked Creek Marina. They were driving on the ice in two UTVs (utility terrain vehicle) headed back to the marina when they drifted off course and found themselves on unsafe ice.
One of the UTVs fell through the ice and quickly became submerged with two men on-board. One of the men was able to escape and the other group was able to pull him out of the water and to safety. The second man was not able to get out and drowned as a result.
At approximately 11:30 pm the rescue team recovered the body of the victim. The name of the man has not yet been released.
Petroleum County Sheriff Bill Cassell said in a Facebook post: "I want to warn all sportsman who plan to icefish on Fort Peck to be very careful of the ice conditions. I also want to thank all the responders who assisted in last nights rescue. Without all of the brave men and women who answered the call last night this could have turned out much worse than it did."
Responding agencies included Winnett Fire, US Fish & Wildlife Service, Winnett Ambulance, and Petroleum County Sheriff's Office, along with several fellow sportsmen.
