Dateline: July 24, 2008

Pampa man drowns at Greenbelt Lake

A midnight swim ended in death for a Pampa man at Greenbelt Lake last Saturday.

Chafen Wayne Wilson, age 21, was pronounced dead by Justice of the Peace Ann Kennedy after his body was recovered approximately 75 feet from the shore of Old Clarendon Point.

Greenbelt Water Authority Manager Bobbie Kidd said Wilson was in a group of eight people ranging in ages from 16 to 24 who decided to swim from the point to Sandy Beach.

“It’s kind of weird deal when you decide to start swimming at midnight,” Kidd said.

Kidd didn’t know if any of the swimmers had made it to Sandy Beach or not, but when the group returned to Clarendon Point, only six people came up on shore.

“They thought two might have drowned,” Kidd said, “but one just came up in a different place and was lost in the bushes.”

The Donley County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call shortly before 12:30 a.m., and the Clarendon Volunteer Fire Department Dive Team recovered Wilson’s body at 1:16 a.m. in eight feet of water.

“The search took three minutes,” said dive team member Kelly Hill. “One of the kids had given us a really good reference point and had put a rock on the beach to mark the location.”

Kidd praised all the emergency personnel who responded to Saturday’s call and specifically praised the dive team.

“This bunch is good,” he said. “When you get called out at midnight and it’s pitch black and you can pull a body out of the water in less than an hour, that’s good.”

Chief Deputy Randy Bond said there were no signs of foul play in the drowning. Results of an autopsy are pending.

Greenbelt said this is the lake’s 19th drowning since it opened in 1968, and it’s the third drowning in the last two years.

Wilson was not wearing a life preserver, and no one has ever drowned in Greenbelt Lake who was wearing a life preserver.

In addition to the dive team and the sheriff’s office, assisting in this case were the Associated Ambulance Authority and the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department.