Huntington man drowns in Huntington North Lake

HUNTINGTON — A Huntington man drowned Sunday while trying to swim a 400-yard stretch on Huntington North Lake.

Search crews located the body of Joseph Ray Hoover, 20, about six hours after the man went below the surface of the lake, Emery County Sheriff Lamar Guymon said.

About 2:30 p.m., Hoover — who was on the shore of the lake with some friends — decided to swim from "one point to another," Guymon said He was about halfway across the stretch when he began to struggle.

"Two young ladies on the bank swam out to him, but had to let him go in order to save their own lives," the sheriff said.

A sheriff's deputy and a state park ranger were able to respond to the lake almost immediately, but weren't able to locate Hoover. Officials from the state park, paramedics, area fire departments and local volunteers all participated in the search, but it took a specialized dive team and sonar equipment to locate Hoover's body.

The body was recovered from the lake around 8:30 p.m.

— Emiley Morgan