Underwater drone revolutionizes rescue missions for Lake Norman Patrol

IREDELL COUNTY, N.C. — Lake Norman Patrol’s underwater drone is making rescue missions more effective and safer for deputies.

The submersible remotely operated vehicle helps deputies, like Brooks Weathers from Iredell County, search the lake floor for drowning victims.

Weathers works on the Lake Enforcement Unit with the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office. He says the tool is especially useful in drowning accidents when every second is critical.

“Both the units are equipped with high-frequency sonar,” he told Channel 9’s Erika Jackson. “Basically, that’s a high pulse of sound waves. Out of those sound waves, we get an image. We’re able to see the bottom of the lake.”

Deputies can tether the underwater drone to a boat or dock and search dozens of feet below the surface, even if it’s completely dark.

It used to take deputies days to find the remains of drowning victims. Now, they say the robots help them find the remains in as little as an hour.

“You don’t want to leave someone’s family member out there,” Weathers said. “You got to think that whole time they’re wondering, are they still alive? Because they’re always clinging on to hope.”

Like the family of Kaleb Shields, the 16-year-old drowned while attending a birthday party last summer. Lake Patrol deputies say they found his body within an hour.

“Because you’re not having to call out divers, you’re not having to do a long search, you can get right down to it quickly,” Weathers explained.

The drone protects the people who protect us, preventing another tragedy. In 2016, Sherrill’s Ford-Terrell firefighter Bradley Long drowned while searching for a missing swimmer.

Iredell County deputies hope they won’t have to use the robot this summer, but as the sun gets brighter and water gets warmer, they fear it’s inevitable.

“There’s more and more boaters out here, so unfortunately, think it’s only going to go up, but we’re prepared for it if or when it does,” Weather said.

Iredell County has the only lake enforcement unit on Lake Norman year-round.

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