BELGRADE — The body of a local man was recovered Monday morning from Messalonskee Lake, police said.
Peter Wesley Townsend, 66, of Belgrade was found near his home on the southwest shoreline of the lake, Cpl. John MacDonald of the Maine Warden Service said in a news release.
Townsend had been swimming in the lake, according to the news release, which did not say whether he had drowned or suffered a medical event. MacDonald said the death is not considered suspicious, however, and officials are awaiting a report from the state medical examiner’s office.
Townsend’s body was found in about 6 feet of water and 100 feet from shore by three people fishing in the area. Authorities initially responded to a report of a boat rescue at the lake off Ash Road.
Townsend was an avid swimmer who regularly swam in the lake during the summer, MacDonald said.
Messalonskee Lake, in the Belgrade Lakes region, is 9 miles long and bordered by the towns of Oakland, Sidney and Belgrade.
Maine State Police and firefighters from Belgrade, Oakland and Rome responded to the scene.
The incident is still under investigation. In addition to the medical examiner’s office, it is being reviewed by the Kennebec County District Attorney’s Office, MacDonald said.
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