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Linwood Morgan talks Thursday morning at Verdunville boat landing while authorities and family members were in the midst of searching for his brother, Mark Morgan, and Homer Copeland, both whom were found safe later in the morning in St. Martin Parish. The two boaters and a dog had left Wednesday morning from the Verdunville boat landing to go crawfishing, but their boat sank. (The Daily Review/Zachary Fitzgerald)

Authorities: Two St. Mary boaters, dog rescued in St. Martin Parish

Boat sank during crawfishing trip

Two St. Mary Parish men and a dog were rescued Thursday morning after their boat sank during a crawfishing trip that began Wednesday morning. One of the men swam several miles to a camp while the other man stayed with the boat and dog.

The St. Mary Parish Sheriff's Office received a call just before 10 p.m. Wednesday that two boaters hadn't returned or contacted family since 6 a.m. Wednesday, Sheriff's Office Spokeswoman Detective Lt. Traci Landry said.

At about 10:45 a.m. Thursday, the boaters and the dog were found safe in Banister Canal, also known as the DOE Pipeline in St. Martin Parish.

According to a family member of one of the boaters, the two men, Mark Morgan of Ricohoc and Homer Copeland of Centerville, and a dog set out in an aluminum boat from the Verdunville boat landing in St. Mary Parish and were bound for Duck Lake in St. Martin Parish, Landry said. Search efforts at that time were hindered by hazardous weather conditions.

Members of the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office Marine Section, St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office, Assumption Parish Sheriff’s Office, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries searched for the missing boaters. Agencies were assisted by a group of residents who utilized their personal water craft in the search. Based on the information in the investigation, the search operation was coordinated between agencies.

Morgan and Copeland went crawfishing Wednesday morning from Verdunville boat landing.

About 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Morgan's boat got stuck on top of tree stump, and the two men began rolling the boat to try to remove the boat from on top of the stump. At that point, the boat began taking on water and flipped over in about 9 feet of water, Morgan said by phone Thursday.

Copeland got on the front of the boat with the dog to try to keep the boat from sinking any further, but it didn't work, Morgan said.

So Morgan decided to start swimming around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday while Copeland stayed with the boat and dog.

"I got to the main bayou, and I swam down that bayou for about 3 or 4 miles, 5 miles to a camp," Morgan said. "And I got on top of a camp, and that's where they found me."

Authorities were able to find Copeland after finding Morgan at the camp.

Morgan knew he had to get out of the woods for someone to be able to find him. So he swam toward a camp "way down the bayou" and got on top of the camp.

"It's just something that you just go into survival mode," he said.

Morgan arrived at the camp around 3 a.m. Thursday, and authorities found him there about seven hours later. Copeland stayed in the water with the boat and dog for nearly 24 hours.

Wednesday wasn't the first time that Morgan, 37, who has been crawfishing his entire life, had to escape from a sunken boat.

"This happened to me before when I was 15 years old, 16 years old in the swamp. My daddy turned me loose, and I sunk a little, small boat, and I made it to the landing that day," Morgan said.

On Thursday afternoon, Morgan was on his way with help from others to try to salvage his boat.

ST. MARY NOW

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