Apr 27, 2006 By Christine Haines 3 min read

LUZERNE TWP. – Divers are expected to enter the Monongahela River at the Maxwell Lock and Dam Friday to search for two men who have been missing since a boating accident Saturday evening. Two dive teams have been involved in the search for the missing Washington County fishermen, but so far, they have limited their searching to sonar and underwater cameras because of the dangerous currents near the dam and murky water conditions.

Ryan Nichols, the fire chief for the Luzerne Township Volunteer Fire Department at LaBelle, said the Army Corps of Engineers, which operates the lock and dam, will conduct the dive Friday.

“The Fish and Boat Commission said the Army Corps of Engineers will do the dive Friday if conditions are good,” Nichols said.

Nichols said the river level has been dropping, going from 9 feet Tuesday to 7.5 feet Wednesday. Nichols said there is no rain in the forecast for the Mon River basin over the next few days, so it should continue to drop and to become less murky.

“I talked to the Greensburg dive team. They said the sonar was not good due to the murkiness. They suggested using grappling hooks,” Nichols said.

Nichols said the Maxwell lockmaster, Todd Rankin, said grappling hooks could not be used near the dam due to safety hazards for the firefighters who would be using the hooks. Nichols said he is convinced the bodies of Trent Stupak, 40, of Washington and Steve Barry, 36, of Amity are still near the lock wall where their boat was seen just before it capsized Saturday around 6:30 p.m.

“A fisherman across the river told the Fish and Boat Commission that he saw the boat up against the lock and dam, then the boat overturned,” he said.

The 16-foot bass boat was found Saturday with a fishing pole tied to the anchor line, a jacket and a cooler full of Mountain Dew in the boat. A floatation cushion and life jacket were also found. The life jacket is still in the water near the dam, Nichols said.

A fishing bucket full of live minnows and a fishing net were found Tuesday during a search of the river and the banks by teams of volunteer firefighters. There were no new finds Wednesday, Nichols said, despite continued searches by volunteers from his department and from the South Brownsville Volunteer Fire Department.

The Fayette County Sheriff’s Tactical Search and Rescue Team offered its services Wednesday. Nichols said that he appreciates the resources being made available, but he will wait until after the Army Corps divers go into the water Friday before escalating the search efforts to areas beyond the lock and dam.

“If they aren’t there Friday, we will definitely get some dogs out on the river,” Nichols said.

The fire department will continue to operate a command post just downriver from the lock and dam. Friends and family of the two victims have been at the site since the accident and the Uniontown Salvation Army has been manning a mobile canteen at the site to provide food, beverages and emotional support to the families and the searchers. Nichols said the Fredericktown Butcher Shop donated hamburgers for Wednesday’s dinner for those at the command post. Other area businesses have offered support throughout the five-day search.