Divers Look for Man in Lake Koshkonong

By James Davison
Gazette Staff

SUMNER TOWNSHIP-Officials who searched Lake Koshkonong on Friday were not able to find an Edgerton man who vanished while swimming Thursday.

Roger A. Brainard, 38, was boating with his 18-year-old son and a friend near the town of Sumner, said Sgt. Tom Rue of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department.

"The three were swimming and one person didn't make it back to the boat," Rue said.

Brainard reportedly went underwater and never resurfaced, according to a department news release.

Family members declined to comment on Friday.

Brainard was a good swimmer and went boating and swimming all the time, said a man who was with family members at the scene Friday morning. He did not want to be identified.

"We just want to be able to find him," he said.

The water level in the area is about 3 feet, said Ken Johnson, a Department of Natural Resources engineer who focuses on the lower Rock River.

"The lake is a little low right now because we're in drought-level conditions," Johnson added.

The boat, a Bayliner with an inboard motor, belonged to a friend who lives near the lake but was not present when Brainard disappeared, Rue said.

Several boats with divers from surrounding counties searched for Brainard on Friday morning.

Rue said divers swam back and forth and slowly moved away from their respective boats in a fan pattern in their search.