Date: July 24, 2008 

Contact: Petty Officer Matthew Schofield
(216) 902-6020, phone
(216) 310-2608, mobile 

  COAST GUARD, LOCAL AGENCIES SEARCH FOR MISSING SWIMMER

DETROIT - The Coast Guard, Wayne County Marine Division, and Police Departments from Grosse Ile and Trenton, Mich., began searching the Trenton Channel of the Detroit River, yesterday, for a male swimmer who is missing.

The 39-year-old is a resident of San Diego.

The man left from a dock belonging to a family member on Grosse Ile.  A family friend indicated the missing man is a good swimmer and swam in the channel in the past.

Coast Guard Station Belle Isle, Mich., received a call from the Wayne County 911 dispatcher at approximately 9 p.m., yesterday.  A Coast Guard Air Station Detroit HH-65 Dolphin helicopter and a Station Belle Isle 33-foot Special Purpose Craft - Law Enforcement boat searched throughout the night and into the morning. 

The Wayne County Sheriff's Marine Division, Grosse Ile Dive Team, and Grosse Ile and Trenton Police Departments are assisting with the search efforts. 

U.S. Coast Guard Sector Detroit reminds the boating public to heed all broadcasted weather warnings during impending storms.  People on the water should exercise caution, wear properly fitted personal flotation device (PFD/life-jacket), tell a family member or friend where they are going and when they will return, and have a reliable means of communication.

Sector Detroit directly oversees all Coast Guard missions from Alpena, Mich., to Vermilion, Ohio, on Lake Huron, the Detroit and St. Clair Rivers, Lake St. Clair and Western Lake Erie.

For more information, contact Petty Officer Matthew Schofield, Ninth District Public Affairs, at (216) 902-6020. 

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