Divers pull body from the lake

PONDERAY - Authorities believe they have found the body of a Sandpoint man who apparently drowned while kayaking in Lake Pend Oreille off Black Rock last week.

Divers pulled a body from the lake early Tuesday evening near where Rene “Ren” Behrens-Spraggins was last seen clinging to an overturned kayak. The body was found in nearly 18 feet of water about 450 yards from shore, according to Bonner County Sheriff's Sgt. Ron Raiha.

Raiha said the body was found in the vicinity of where Behrens-Spraggins was last spotted on Wednesday, May 28.

The search for Behrens-Spraggins had been hampered by poor underwater visibility, Raiha said.

Behrens-Spraggins, 19, overturned his kayak in 48-degree water. He was not wearing a life jacket and had reportedly consumed alcohol prior to the mishap, sheriff's officials have said. Dustin Hendricks, a 20-year-old who was paddling with Behrens-Spraggins, attempted to help his friend, but his kayak ended up capsizing as well.

Sheriff's officials said Hendricks was swimming toward shore when he was picked up by a passerby in a power boat. They attempted to find Behrens-Spraggins without success.

Bonner County sheriff's divers and marine patrol deputies searched the waters between Sandpoint and Kootenai last week. This week, a Kootenai County Sheriff's marine patrol unit with sideways looking sonar was brought in to assist in the search.

Behrens-Spraggins was found with the side-scan sonar, Raiha said.

Further information was not available by press time.