ACTION 8 UPDATE: Divers recover body of longtime AU chaplain at Kowaliga Restaurant at Lake Martin
Rev. Chette Williams/Source: Auburn Athletics
ACTION 8 UPDATE: The body of the boater recovered near Kowaliga Restaurant at Lake Martin has been identified as 61-year-old Chette Williams.
Rev. Williams was the longtime football team chaplain at Auburn University and also played linebacker there from 1982-1984.
State troopers say the marine-related incident happened around 5:45 p.m. Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin tells Action 8 News that Williams and a friend stopped by boat at the restaurant for dinner. When they found out that the restaurant was closed for a private event, Williams tried to get back into the boat and accidentally fell into the water.
Around 7:15 p.m. Sunday night, dive teams from the Alexander City Police Department, Elmore County Sheriff’s Office, and ALEA’s Marine Patrol recovered Williams’ body.
Williams was recovered at approximately 7:19 p.m. near the same location where he entered the water and was pronounced deceased. Williams’s body has been sent to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences (ADFS) for an autopsy to be performed.
ALEA’s Marine Patrol Division is investigating the incident.
ORIGINAL STORY:
The following agencies assisted with the search and recovery efforts the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office, Kowaliga Volunteer Fire Department, Red Hill Volunteer Fire Department, Real Island Volunteer Fire Department and Troopers with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s Highway Patrol Division.
Around 7:15p.m. Sunday night, dive teams from the Alexander City Police Department, Elmore County Sheriff’s Office, and ALEA’s Marine Patrol recovered the body of a boater near Kowaliga Restaurant at Lake Martin.
Action 8 News spoke with Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin who said that the unidentified man in his 60’s and a friend stopped by boat at Kowaliga Restaurant for dinner. When they found out the restaurant was closed for a private party, the man tried to get back into the boat from the dock and accidentally fell into the water.
