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An 18-year-old from Deer Isle drowned in a Sedgwick pond on Saturday, according to the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department.

First responders were called to Walker Pond on Saturday for a report of two swimmers who were calling for help, the sheriff’s department said in a news release Monday.

One of the swimmers was able to reach shore safely. A sheriff’s deputy and a Sedgwick firefighter swam toward the other swimmer, who was floating on the surface about 150 feet from land, but he went under the water before they could reach him. The deputy and firefighter searched the area but were unable to immediately find him.

First responders eventually recovered the swimmer’s body. He was identified as Shawn Clapper, 18, of Deer Isle, and pronounced dead at the scene, according to the news release.

The sheriff’s department said Clapper’s death is not considered suspicious. A preliminary investigation determined that water conditions and lack of swimming experience were factors in his death.

Jenene Grover is a Middle Tennessee State student and an intern with the Press Herald breaking news team.

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