Sonar technology helps Iredell County Sheriff’s Office lake enforcement team recover drowning victims faster
Publish Date: 2026-05-29 18:42:00
Source Domain: www.wbtv.com
IREDELL CO., N.C. (WBTV) – A second person drowned on Lake Wylie in a little over a week. The most recent happening on Thursday when a teenager was recovered after reportedly jumping off a boat.
A 16-year-old boy was recovered on Thursday, May 28, just 10 days ago another person reportedly jumped off a boat was recovered.
Also read — York County coroner identifies teen recovered from Lake Wylie
The Iredell County Sheriff’s Office has a remote operated vehicle, or ROV, that helps find drowning victims, and bring families closure faster.
Lake Enforcement Deputy Brooks Weathers said they’ve had the technology since 2024.
“If we get here before anyone else and we have a good last known location, we can get this in the water in minutes and have them out,” Weathers said.
Deputy Weather said it’s operated like a video game controller, and helps the Lake Enforcement Team see what’s under the water when they’re looking for a person.
This will be their third summer with the ROV, and Deputy Weathers said the technology helps them find victims faster.
“In years past it would take hours to if not days. This cut it down,” Weathers said. “If we have a good lockdown on last known location, we’re talking most of them were under two hours recovery.”
Weathers said it also helps them keep divers safe and out of the water in an emergency, especially in an area with low visibility.
“There’s stuff all over the lake bottom, you know, using our submersible ROV’s, we see it all the time,” Deputy Weathers said. “All the debris, all the different things. There’s just all kinds of stuff. Even there’s old bridges, old roads underwater.”
While its not a tool they want to use, Deputy Weathers said he’s glad they have it.
“Searching underwater is very tough. It’s very hard to do. How far sonar has come gives you a clear image of what you’re looking at on the bottom. It makes searching so much easier and eventually giving closure to a family a lot…
