Missing man feared dead

PRIEST RIVER – A Spirit Lake man is missing and presumed drowned after slipping and falling in the Priest River on Friday night.

Donald Robert Maskell, 43, was standing in the water, apparently lost his footing and was swept downstream by swift currents, said Bonner County Sheriff’s Lt. Ror Lakewold.

“He hasn’t been seen since,” Lakewold said.

Maskell fell in at about 6 p.m. He was camping beside the river with his girlfriend and another friend several miles north of the city, below McAbee Falls, according to Lakewold.

Bonner County Search & Rescue, North Idaho Search & Rescue and West Pend Oreille Fire District personnel immediately mounted a search, but it was suspended at about midnight. The search resumed on Saturday morning. Deputies and Idaho State Police also participated in the search.

Lakewold said divers have been combing the river with particular emphasis on downstream eddies and snags.

“It’s running high and it’s running super fast,” Lakewold said of the river.

The river’s flow on Saturday was gauged at 4,400 cubic feet per second, according to real-time data posted online by the U.S. Geological Survey. The river’s flow was measured at 3,650 cfs one week ago.

The river, which has a smattering of Class II and III rapids, is known for its strength during spring runoff.

It’s unclear what Maskell was doing in the river when he slipped or whether alcohol was a contributing factor in the mishap.

“That part is still under investigation,” Lakewold said.