Man Missing After Lake Search Found Safe

Update: Tom Mark 8:20 am

RCMP finally did get their man, even though they thought he may have drowned.

The man ran from Vernon Mounties early Saturday morning when they were checking complaints of a prowler at home on Eastside Road near Okanagan Avenue.

He jumped into Okanagan Lake and officers lost sight of him, thinking he didn’t make it.

Turns out he did.

“Our last point of seeing him was him getting into the lake. As it turned out, the individual swam quite a distance and got out of the lake and was located in a neighbouring community safe and sound.”

RCMP Corporal Dan Moskaluk wouldn’t say what that neighbouring community was or who tipped off police as to the man’s location.

“Essentially a member of the public identified the individual as the result of us issuing the news release yesterday and contacted their local authorities.”

He had earlier been identified as 38 year old Kris Howey of Kamloops.

He was taken to a medical facility for assessment.

Corporal Moskaluk says police still don’t have details as to how the man managed to make it across the lake considering the weather and water temperature at the time.

He says officers did all they could early Saturday to find him.

One officer did enter the water but turned back because of the cold water and he did not have a personal flotation device.

Corporal Moskaluk couldn’t say where Howey is now or what further involvement police may have with him.

Update : Tom Mark  5 am

The fate of missing man in Vernon is no longer a mystery.

Thirty-eight year-old Kris Howey, who was  listed as missing since early Saturday after jumping into Okanagan Lake after being confronted by police investigating a suspicious person going through a couple of yards on Eastside Road is now reported to be ” safe and sound.” by police.

A note put on twitter by RCMP last evening said  that Howey had been located  and they suspect that he  managed to swim across Okanagan Lake after being last seen by police entering the water.

At the time, officers reported seeing him go under and not resurface.

Local search and rescue and the RCMP dive team were brought in and spent much of Saturday and part of Sunday looking for Howey.

The search was suspended yesterday and an appeal was put out for anyone locating him to get in touch.

The RCMP have not said how they were notified of his whereabouts or where is now, or for that matter, how he managed to get away.

RCMP still have not located a man last seen going into Okanagan Lake near Vernon.

38 year-old Kris Howey of Kamloops is still listed as missing after searches of the lake were suspended today.

Howey was last seen in the lake by a police officer around 3 am Saturday near Okanagan Avenue and Eastside Road after Mounties were called to a report of a suspicious male.

Pictured: Kris Howry (RCMP)

Cpl. Dan Moskaluk it’s not known if Howey exited the lake or drowned.

“Since his disappearance, local SAR technicians and the RCMP Underwater Recovery Team has been on scene searching the waters and surrounding area for signs of Howey,” says Moskaluk. “The RCMP Underwater Recovery Team concluded their search on Monday afternoon. The current search has been suspended and further efforts will be considered in the near future.”

Moskaluk says the lake search could resume at some point.

“We will be re-assessing and looking at the shorelines periodically with our police service dog and search and rescue technicians assisting, and perhaps again having the RCMP underwater recovery team doing another search,” Moskaluk tells Kiss FM.

Kris Howey is described as:

Caucasian male, 38 years-old, 183 cm, 6 ft, 91 kg, 200lbs, short sandy hair, blue eyes, full beard.

Anyone who has any information about Kris Howey’s whereabouts are asked to contact Vernon RCMP at 250-545-7171 or Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477.