Bethel police say a local man drowned in a lake Monday night while swimming home with his friend after an egg-hunting trip.
Bethel Police Department Chief Larry Elarton says officers responded at about 8:40 p.m. to a possible drowning reported in the Haroldson subdivision, where they helped perform CPR on 23-year-old Albert Swope until medics arrived.
According to Elarton, witnesses said Swope and a friend had been hunting eggs -- a common subsistence activity in Bethel, home of the state's second-largest bird preserve.
"It was a normal activity for (Swope) and his friend to go do," Elarton said.
After the egg hunt, Swope and his friend decided to cross a local lake adjacent to the subdivision on their way home.
"While swimming across the lake, Swope began having difficulty," Elarton wrote in a Tuesday statement. "The other swimmer attempted to assist Swope to no avail and Swope slipped under the water."
Elarton says it's not clear exactly how long Swope was under water, but he was quickly recovered.
"It was a short time," Elarton said. "His friend ran for help, residents called 911."
Swope was soon recovered from the lake and resuscitation efforts were initiated, but staff at the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corp. hospital ultimately declared him dead at about 10:15 p.m.
Elarton says hospital staff have notified Swope's next of kin. Investigating officers didn't find any signs of drugs or alcohol being involved.
Contact Chris Klint