Two men drown in separate lakes in Pend Oreille County

Two men reportedly drowned in a three-day span in separate Pend Oreille County lakes.

David W. Harvey, 61, of Newport, died Monday at Davis Lake and Webster Kneass III, 64, of Deer Park, died Saturday at Horseshoe Lake, according to the Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Office.

The cause and manner of death for Harvey is pending, the Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office said. The medical examiner’s office ruled Kneass’s death an accidental drowning.

In Harvey’s death, sheriff’s office dispatch received a call about 1:45 a.m. Monday from a female saying her friend, Harvey, was fishing near the rocky edge of Davis Lake, located along state Route 211, 5½ miles south of Usk, when he fell in the water, according to a sheriff’s office news release. The female tried to help Harvey out of the water but was unsuccessful.

She went to the car to call 911 and he was missing when she returned, the release said.

Pend Oreille County Fire District 4 and sheriff’s office marine units responded with rescue boats and located Harvey with sonar equipment, according to the sheriff’s office. The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team recovered Harvey in 13 feet of water off a rock cliff.

Late Saturday afternoon, Kneass drowned near the waterfall area of Horseshoe Lake, located 8½ miles northwest of Elk, according to a separate release from the sheriff’s office.

Witnesses reported a man, Kneass, in a small boat fell overboard and was under water four minutes when the original call was received.

Spokane County Sheriff’s Office divers recovered the body of Kneass in about 17 feet of water in the same area the boater was last seen.