(Hamilton) Indiana Conservation Officers are investigating the death of a Pleasant Lake man at Terry Lake in DeKalb County. At 10:10 a.m. today, Steuben County Communications was contacted by the Hamilton Police Department and advised they were checking on an unattended portable ice fishing sled at Terry Lake in DeKalb County, near the Hamilton Fish and Game Club. Officers arrived on scene, discovered evidence that suggested an ice fisherman had fallen through the ice, and requested emergency crews.
The Angola Fire Department responded in their airboat to where the unattended ice fishing gear was next to open water. Firefighters soon recovered the body of a victim from the water and transported him to shore, where DeKalb EMS pronounced him deceased at 11:04 a.m.
The victim was identified as Robert W. Penland, 45, of Pleasant Lake.
Indiana Conservation Officers were assisted on scene by the Hamilton Police Department, the Hamilton Fire Department, the Steuben County Underwater Rescue and Recovery Team (SCURRT), the Steuben County Sheriff’s Department, the Angola Fire Department, DeKalb County EMS, and the DeKalb County Coroner’s office.
Indiana Conservation Officers strongly recommend using extreme caution when venturing onto frozen lakes or ponds and always wear a personal floatation device (PFD).
