A West Baldwin man drowned in Aziscohos Lake while attempting to swim to shore after mooring his boat, the Maine Warden Service said.
Michael Shields, 54, had attached his boat to a mooring in front of his camp on Alca Flats Road in Lincoln Plantation around 11:30 a.m. Monday, then started to swim back to shore, according to the warden service. He went under water about 50 yards from his camp and never resurfaced.
Shields’ wife and father-in-law both saw him go under, but had to drive 17 miles down a dirt road to call for help from a landline at Black Brook Cove Camp because there is no cell coverage in the area.
Jeff Beach, a warden service pilot, and a Maine Forest Service helicopter were brought in to search for Shields from the air. Both pilots spotted something in the water near shore and two Maine State Police divers searched that area.
Shields’ body was found in about 10 feet of water at 6:30 p.m. He was taken to the Wiles Funeral Home, where he will be examined by the state medical examiner on Tuesday.
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