BELGRADE — The body of a local man was recovered from Messalonskee Lake Monday morning, police said.

Peter Wesley Townsend, 66, of Belgrade, was found near his home on the southwest shoreline of the lake, Cpl. John MacDonald of the Maine Warden Service said in a news release.

The release said Townsend had been swimming in the lake but did not say whether he had drowned or suffered a medical event. MacDonald said the death is not considered suspicious, but officials are still awaiting the medical examiner report.

Townsend’s body was found in about 6 feet of water and 100 feet from shore by three people fishing in the area. Authorities initially responded to a report of a boat rescue at the lake off Ash Road.

Townsend was an avid swimmer who regularly swam in the lake during the summer, MacDonald said.

Maine State Police and firefighters from Belgrade, Oakland and Rome responded to the scene. The incident is still under investigation and will be reviewed by the Maine Medical Examiner’s Office and the Kennebec County District Attorney’s Office, MacDonald said.


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