COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office has identified the two people who were on a boat when it capsized on Fernan Lake Tuesday morning.
Officials got a call at 5:10 a.m. from a fisherman about a drowning at the east end of Fernan Lake. It was reported two people, Jesse Bishop, 60, and Nathaniel Storch, 19, were on a 10 foot aluminum boat and were transporting gear from the East Fernan Boat Launch to some state land on the south side of the lake. Authorities said the boat capsized and both occupants ended up in the water. Officials said the boat capsized because it was overloaded. Deputies said Storch was wearing a life jacket and Bishop was not.
KCSO leaders said Storch was able to swim to shore but Bishop was not.
A KCSO Dive Rescue Team and Kootenai County Fire and Rescue responded to the area and started looking for Bishop. Spokane County Air 1 was also called in to help with the search.
As of 2:30 p.m., crews were conducting an underwater search of the area. Officials said weeds in the area have slowed the search.
