By C1 Staff
WAYNESVILLE, Ohio — A correctional officer with the Warren Correctional Institution drowned Sunday afternoon after attempting to retrieve the family boat.
10News reports that Robert Stegemoller, 47, was picnicking with family at the Caesar Creek Lake when he saw the boat go adrift. He swam out to retrieve it.
His 19-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, heard his screams for help and attempted to rescue him; they were both pulled underwater and Stegemoller told his daughter to save herself.
His body was recovered four hours later.
Scott Hines with the Massie Twp. Fire Department said the lake has sudden and steep drop-offs that catch swimmers off guard. A local coroner ruled cardiac distress could be related to Stegemoller’s death.
Stegemoller was also a varsity girls’ golf coach at Little Miami High School.
“This loss is felt not just at the Little Miami High School or on the golf courses around the Southwest Ohio League, but throughout our community,” the school’s statement read.
A memorial service is scheduled for Saturday.