Man drowns in West Virginia's Cheat Lake while boating with wife and dog
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. (KDKA) -- A Fayette County man drowned in West Virginia's Cheat Lake while boating with his wife and dog on Sunday, officials said.
Sixty-one-year-old Jeffrey Gerhardt of Smock, Pennsylvania, went into the water to get a dog doy but started to struggle on his way back, the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources said in a news release. Gerhardt went under and didn't resurface.
Police with the Division of Natural Resources got a call about the possible drowning around 12:30 p.m. Divers were sent to the lake in the area of Morgan Run Road. After searching for hours, officials said a diver found Gerhardt's body around 5 p.m.
"Governor Jim Justice, Director McMillion, Colonel Bobby Cales, and the rest of the West Virginia Natural Resources Police would like to extend its condolences during this difficult time to the to the Gerhardt family but is satisfied the newly formed dive team could be of service to the citizens of West Virginia and its visitors to bring closure to this tragic event," the Division of Natural Resources said in a statement.
Cheat Lake is nestled in the Allegheny Mountains outside of Morgantown, about an hour and a half from Pittsburgh.
