Man Who Drowned While Netting Minnows ID'd

HENRY, S.D. (AP) — Authorities in Codington County have identified a 56-year-old man who drowned while netting minnows in a slough near Henry.

KXLG radio reports that the victim has been identified as Dean Carl Mertins of Waterville, Minn.

The sheriff's office says Mertins' boat drifted from shore Thursday morning, so he swam after it but drowned.

Witnesses called in the incident, and divers from the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department and Codington County Search and Rescue were able to recover the body.

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