Kevin Howell, Carmel town manager in Maine drowns saving 4 year old son after ice breaks underneath them as they walked across frozen pond.
A Maine town manager drowned saving his 4 year old son after ice broke underneath them while walking along a frozen pond, Friday morning.
Kevin Howell, 51, and his son Sawyer were on an early morning walk across a portion of Etna Pond when the ice collapsed beneath their weight, according to a release from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office.
The father managed to pull the four year old out of the frigid waters, instructing the boy to run the one third mile back to their Carmel house and get his mother.
The four year old made the journey to his mother, who called 911 and rushed to help her husband, grabbing an anchor and rope on the way, while instructing the boy to stay inside, police said.
Valiant effort
After securing the rope to shore and racing across the ice to reach Howell, the wife then tragically broke through the ice herself and was unable to get out.
Fortunately, the Penobscot sheriff arrived shortly after and successfully rescued Howell’s wife by crawling across the ice and using the same rope she had fastened moments earlier.
Howell, however by this time had vanished beneath the surface.
His body was recovered by divers shortly before 2 p.m., just 20 minutes after they entered the water and nearly 8 hours after Howell broke through the ice.
At the time of his death, Howell was serving as the town manager for Carmel, a town nearly 100 miles northeast of Lewiston.
He had held the position since 2015 and was awarded several accolades for his work in town government, including the town Leadership award in 2020, according to Carmel’s website.
Selfless leader who put the needs of others ahead of himself
Howell was remembered by the community as putting the needs of everyone else before himself, FOX ABC Maine reported.
Several town employees changed their Facebook profile pictures to an image of the town’s emblem, along with a black ribbon to represent mourning, in the hours following the tragedy.
Howell also served as a member of Maine’s second EMS Blue Ribbon Commission.
‘Mr. Howell was a visionary for his community’s development of a regional EMS system. 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. Our deepest sympathies to his friends and his family,’ Maine EMS said in a statement.
Howell was a member and current vice president of Golden Harvest Grange No. 33, a lifetime member of the Carmel Historical Society and a member of the Carmel Snowmobile Club.
Ethan Dysart, a friend and neighbor, described Howell as an industrious person, someone who not only took care of his family but also the entire community.
‘He was the best fit, honestly, for a town manager,’ Dysart told the Portland Press Herald. ‘He always dropped everything he had going to make sure things were taken care of for the town. He was always coming up with new ideas for the new recreation center. He’d do a town parade every year that he put a lot of work into for Carmel Days. He really brought the community together.’
In addition to running a cedar furniture business and serving as town manager, Howell ran a nearby farm with his wife. ‘It’s a beautiful little farm,’ Dysart told the Press Herald.
Carmel is about 15 miles from Bangor with a population of 2,867, according to the 2020 census.
Etna Pond covers about 361 acres and has a depth of 12 feet and is a popular spot for ice fishing and skating.
