Natural Resources Police Investigate Cause Of Fatal Boat Accident

Chestertown, Md. (June 23, 2010) – The Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) is investigating the cause of a fatal boating accident that was reported Tuesday, June 22, at 8:00 p.m. in the Chester River, south of the Chester River Country Club, Kent County.

Stephen Leonard Cohey, age 56 of Chestertown, was reported missing after he failed to return to Kennersly Marina from fishing with his commercial pound nets. NRP, United States Coast Guard (USCG) and Kent and Queen Anne’s County Rescue Squads searched the river for Cohey. Cohey’s unoccupied vessels were located near his pound net in the Chester River minutes after the search began. The search for Cohey was conducted by land, water and air. Coast Guard aviation also assisted in the search.

Cohey’s body was located at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, approximately one quarter mile south of his pound net in the Chester River. The body was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for an autopsy. The NRP Special Operations Division is continuing an investigation to determine the cause of the fatal boat accident.

The Maryland Natural Resources Police is the enforcement arm of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). With an authorized strength of 247 officers and a dedicated staff of civilian and volunteer personnel, the NRP provide a variety of services in addition to conservation and boating law enforcement duties throughout the State of Maryland. These services include homeland security, search and rescue, emergency medical services, education, information and communications services on a round the clock basis. NRP is the only police force aside from the Maryland State Police that has statewide jurisdiction.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages more than 461,000 acres of public lands and 17,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland's forests, fisheries, and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. A national leader in land conservation, DNR-managed parks and natural, historic, and cultural resources attract 12 million visitors annually. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland's effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state's number one environmental priority. Learn more at www.dnr.maryland.gov