Lake Stevens man presumed drowned after being swept away near Washaway Beach

Published 7:00 pm Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Connorey K. Le, 20, of Lake Stevens, is presumed drowned after being swept out to sea while swimming near Washaway Beach in the North Cove area Sunday, according to a statement from Pat Matlock, Chief Criminal Deputy with the Pacific County Sheriff’s Office.

Le was in the area with friends at a vacation cabin for the weekend near the location of the incident, according to Matlock. Alerted to the scene Sunday just before 7 p.m. by a 911 call, a nearby deputy arrived within minutes to the location near Willows Lane. Washington State Parks officers were also alerted and the U.S. Coast Guard deployed a rescue vessel and helicopter.

The deputy could see the swimmer about 150 yards out in distress. Friends of Le told the deputy they had all gone for a swim and all struggled to return to the shore, but Le was too far out and their attempts to retrieve him were unsuccessful.

The deputy maintained visual contact with Le for about 20 minutes before Le went under the surface. The deputy was in radio contact with the helicopter, which arrived about 7:40 p.m., and was advised that the helicopter crew had Le in sight but he appeared to be unresponsive and under water. The rescue vessel attempted to recover the swimmer, but the ocean tide and currents swept him farther beneath the surface. The recovery effort continued until 9:52 p.m. when low light conditions forced a halt to the search, said Matlock.

While Le’s body has not yet been recovered, he is presumed drowned and his family has been notified.