By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – The Lewis County Coroner’s Office today confirmed the death of 57-year-old Tracy S. Dopp was indeed an accidental drowning in a Randle area fishing pond on Monday evening.
The Randle resident’s body was recovered by dive teams between noon and 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday in six to 10 feet of water, about 25 feet from the shore, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.
Chief Deputy Bruce Kimsey said Dopp had taken three boys to the pond near Lake Scanewa for recreation and when he saw one of them, a 10-year-old, was having difficulty swimming, he pulled off his boots and went into the pond. At some point, he had difficulty himself and went under, Kimsey said of the approximately 6:35 p.m. incident on Monday.
The pond is along the 800 block of Falls Road.
Dive teams from Thurston and Pierce counties assisted in locating the victim using sonar, according to the sheriff’s office.
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For background, read “Drowning: Randle man removes boots to help boy in pond, goes under himself” from Tuesday May 15, 2018, here
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter