A Maine town manager died after rescuing his 4-year-old son when they both plunged through an icy pond on Friday, January 26, 2024. Kevin Howell, 51, and his son, Sawyer, were out for a walk when they crossed a portion of Etna Pond.
According to the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office, the father-son duo broke through the ice around 6:30 a.m. The pond is less than half a mile from their Carmel, Maine home, the County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. Howell was Carmel’s town manager, about 50 miles northeast of the state’s capital, Augusta.
The sheriff’s office reported that Howell was able to get his son out of the water onto more solid ice. Then, he instructed the boy to get his mother. Consequently, the boy ran home and told his mother, who, in turn, called 911. Afterward, she rushed to help her husband, grabbing an anchor and rope.
“The boy ran home and notified his mother. The mom told the young boy to stay at home,” the sheriff’s office said. “She called 911, and she rushed to help her husband.” Once the woman, Katie, reached the shore, she secured the rope and went to help her husband.
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However, the sheriff’s office said she also fell through the ice and couldn’t get out. Following the incident, Jordan Norton, a sheriff detective, responded to the area after the 911 call. When he saw Howell’s wife in the water, he began “crawling across the treacherous ice” while holding on to the rope.
While he was able to help get the woman to safety, he did not see Kevin Howell. Consequently, the sheriff’s office called six Maine Warden Service divers and one state police diver to the scene. Two warden service divers began a search at about 1:40 p.m. and found Howell about 20 minutes later.
According to Howell’s biography on the Town of Carmel website, he and his wife moved to Carmel in 2014. The biography also stated that Howell enjoyed woodworking, expanding his family hobby farm, and outdoor sporting activities in his spare time. The website also described him as an “avid cook.”
The small town is grieving Howell, a prominent community member. Friends and colleagues described the late town manager as a “wonderful guy.” Daniel Frye, chairman of the town’s Board of Selectmen, told the Portland Press Herald that Howell “really believed in community.”
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“That’s why he was such a perfect person for that town manager role,” Frye said. “He always wanted to make the town better. He was a standout guy.” “When he took it over, it was on the outs. He came in and brought the community together,” Frye added.
“Every year, it got bigger and better, in large part to Kevin’s work,” Frye said. “He was always working on the next project. His death is a big loss for the town.” In addition to being town manager, Howell participated in the state’s Emergency Medical Services. He was a member of the second EMS Blue Ribbon Commission.
“Mr. Howell was a visionary for his community’s development of a regional EMS system,” Maine EMS posted to Facebook. “We are very appreciative of his support for the Maine Bureau of EMS, the state of Maine, and the kindness he showed his community and colleagues.” The agency added, “Our deepest sympathies to his friends and family.”
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