By Shavonne Potts
spotts@salisburypost.com
A boat that sank Sunday, killing two fishermen, had a hole at the bottom, officials say.
Reginald Tyrone Harris, 42, of 3740 Tennessee Ave., Charlotte, and Jon Christopher Milton, 28, of 2627 Brentwood Place, Charlotte, died early Sunday morning after witnesses spotted the men in distress shortly after midnight near Tamarac Marina .
“At some point a hole had been drilled through the bottom of the boat. It was caulked with some material,” said Sgt. Tony Sharum of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.
Sharum said there was a quarter-sized hole in the boat.
He speculates that the boat filled with water and one of the men moved. The combined weight of the water, with the shift in weight, overturned the boat.
There were life preservers present, but Sharum assumed the two men did not have time to get them.
“Alcohol was not indicated,” he said.
Rowan County Sheriff George Wilhelm said Sunday witnesses saw a boat going under the Bringle Ferry Road bridge headed toward the wildlife area.
The witnesses said they could tell the boat was having trouble and didn’t sound like it was running right, he said.
The boat went out of sight, and the witnesses never saw anyone, but heard someone calling for help.
The witnesses called 911. The Rowan Rescue Squad found the two men Sunday morning about 75 feet from the dock.
In addition to Rowan Rescue and the Sheriff’s Office, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, Millers Ferry Fire, Gold Hill Fire, Pooletown Fire, Ellis Cross Country Fire and the Liberty Fire departments also responded in the incident.
See Tuesday’s Post and www.salisburypost.com for more details.