RAPID CITY, S.D. – The name of the man who drowned yesterday in Pactola Reservoir has been released.
According to a release from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, the body of 57-year-old Terry Westergaard was pulled from the water around 11:00 p.m. Wednesday.
Witnesses say Westergaard was swimming near his boat just after 2:00 p.m. when he went underwater and did not re-surface.
Divers located his body in water just over 100-feet deep Wednesday evening.
The depth of the water made it difficult for divers, but they were aided by some specialized equipment. Pennington County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Brian Mueller says without such equipment, the recovery could have taken weeks.
Mueller says two divers from the Rapid City Pennington County Water Rescue Team were transported for medical evaluation, due to the depth and water conditions of the dive. He says there were no other injuries and both divers are doing fine.
It is second drowning this week. A man drowned in Memorial Pond after he went into the water to retrieve a remote control boat on Tuesday. His name has not been released yet.
