Search continues for missing boater on Mosquito Lake
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BAZETTA -- Recovery crews from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources will return to Mosquito Lake this morning to continue their search for a man who went missing after he fell out of a canoe Sunday morning while fishing.
Sgt. Josh Orwick of ODNR's Division of Parks and Watercraft, said the all-day search Monday for John Schuster, 51, of the Girard-Liberty area, was called off shortly after 6 p.m. because of the fading sunlight.
Orwick said crews were hampered all day by choppy waters that included white caps fueled by strong winds on the lake.
"The winds were definitely a big factor. They were messing with our sonar all day," Orwick said.
Three ODNR boats plus the agency's canine, Tommy, were on the lake all day in hopes of finding Schuster.
The search focused in and around the channel on the southeast side of the lake, which at about 20 feet deep, is the deepest part of the reservoir, said Bazetta fire Chief Dennis Lewis.
Earlier Monday, Lewis termed the mission a recovery rather than a rescue. A cluster of Schuster's family and friends kept vigil about a football field away from where media members were allowed to set up their camera equipment.
Witnesses saw the canoe capsize about 10:30 a.m. Sunday and passing boaters were able to get one man in his 50s out of the water with no injuries. His name was not being released.
gvogrin@tribtoday.com