SLIDELL, La. (WGNO) — A Pearl River man is dead and another is injured after St. Tammany detectives say their shrimping boat capsized on Lake Pontchartrain. A several-hour search by the STPSO ended when 62-year-old Rick Hodgson and an unidentified friend were recovered from the water near the Twin Span bridge on Thursday afternoon.
The STPSO says the search for the boaters began around 5:15 a.m. that morning when the sheriff’s office received a report that the two men (originally believed to be three) had not returned from their trip on the water the night before.
The boaters were last seen departing the Pointe Marina in Slidell Wednesday evening around 8:45. On Thursday morning, their truck and boat trailer remained at the site.
Coast Guard Station New Orleans 29-foot Response Boat-small boatcrew departs for a search and rescue operation Sept. 22, 2022 near New Orleans. The boatcrew was searching for two boaters who were reported overdue on their return to port. (Coast Guard photo, courtesy Coast Guard Station New Orleans) 
Coast Guard Station New Orleans 29-foot Response Boat-small boatcrew departs for a search and rescue operation Sept. 22, 2022 near New Orleans. The boatcrew was searching for two boaters who were reported overdue on their return to port. (Coast Guard photo, courtesy Coast Guard Station New Orleans) 
Photo: St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office via Facebook 
Photo: St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office via Facebook
After several hours of searching, the blue shrimp boat the boaters were traveling on was found overturned near the Orleans-St. Tammany parish line around 8 a.m.The two men were found in the water nearby.
Detectives say Hodgson was pronounced dead once recovered by the U.S. Coast Guard. The other boater, who was not identified, was taken to Slidell Memorial Hospital where he was last reported to be in stable condition.
“This is not the outcome we were hoping for and we ask all of our followers to please pray for the deceased’s family and friends,” the sheriff’s office said on Facebook.
“It is always our hope that we bring everyone home safely,” added Lt. Seth Gross with the Coast Guard Sector New Orleans. “Our deepest condolences go out to the family, friends, and loved ones of the deceased.”
The incident is being investigated by Wildlife and Fisheries.
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