Kevin Howell: Carmel, Maine, town manager drowns after saving son

A town manager in Maine has died after he and his four-year-old boy fell through a frozen pond less than a mile from their home.

Kevin Howell, 51, of Carmel, got his son out of the water and asked him to get his mother, the local sheriff's office said.

Katie Howell ran down to the water with an anchor and rope but also fell through the ice and had to be rescued.

Her husband went missing and was pulled from the water several hours later.

Mr Howell was "a stand-out guy" who believed in community, town resident Daniel Frye told the Portland Press Herald.

"That's why he was such a perfect person for that town manager role," Mr Frye, chairman of the board of Selectmen, said. "He always wanted to make the town better."

The town manager and his son, Sawyer, were out for a walk when the incident took place early on Friday morning, around 0630 local time (1130 GMT).

After Mr Howell got his son back onto the ice, the boy ran home - about a third of a mile from the pond - to notify his mother.

She called 911 and rushed to help her husband but also fell through Etna Pond and was unable to get out.

Detective Jordan Norton, who was in the area, immediately responded to the call, "crawling across the treacherous ice" and pulling Mrs Howell to the shore.

But there was no trace of Mr Howell by then, even after members of the Maine Warden Service and the Carmel Fire Department arrived to assist.

Two divers with the warden service located the town manager's body in the early afternoon, just before 1400 local time (1900 GMT).

According to the town website, the Howells moved to Carmel - a small town of less than 3,000 residents about 16 miles (25km) west of Bangor - in 2014.

"He came in and brought the community together," Mr Frye told the Press Herald. "His death is a big loss for the town."

As town manager, Mr Howell was responsible for oversight and management of the town departments, including presentation of the annual budget.

He was recognised in 2018 for his efforts to improve the town's recycling programme, and again in 2020 for bold innovation as a public administrator.

The town's website said he enjoyed woodworking, various winter sports, expanding his family hobby farm and whipping up meals for family and friends.