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Search continues for man who fell overboard
December 10, 2007
Contact: Joy Hill, 352-732-1225
Searchers are continuing efforts today to recover the
body of Cesar Martin Montano, 27, who fell off his sailboat and
disappeared into the St. Johns River just south of the Shands Bridge
near Jacksonville on Friday.
Officials from several agencies searched throughout the
weekend with no result. Lt. George Pottorf of the Florida Fish and
Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is coordinating the search
efforts.
“It’s very sad. If only he had been wearing a life
jacket we would not be out here now searching for his body,” Pottorf
said.
Montano fell overboard while attempting to refuel his
27-foot sailboat with a gas can while the boat was under way. Montano
and his wife, Jennifer, were on a 12-day trip that began in Miami. They
were headed for Welaka from Jacksonville when the incident happened.
Officers from the FWC, Clay County Sheriff’s Office, St.
Johns County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Coast Guard are participating
in the search on water and from aircraft.
The FWC is the lead investigating agency.
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