A Mooresville man drowns in a tubing accident at Lake Monroe. An Avon man driving the boat pulling the inner tube was arrested.
(Courtesy of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources)
Conservation officers are investigating the death of a man from Mooresville after his body was found in Lake Monroe Wednesday afternoon.
Officials responded around 4:40 p.m. near Allen’s Creek.
They say 35-year-old Zacharia Sweet was riding in an inner tube being pulled by a boat when he went underwater and did not resurface. Sweet was not wearing a life jacket.
A 6-year-old who was riding with Sweet was wearing a life jacket and safely made it back to the boat.
A diver recovered Sweet’s body 23 feet under water, using sonar and a remote vehicle to locate him.
The driver of the boat, James Banfield, 37, of Avon, was arrested for driving while intoxicated.
This is the first drowning at Lake Monroe this year. Officers urge the public to always wear a life jacket while on the water.
