IFW - Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
06/14/2026 | Press release | Archived content
MDIFW NEWS: Maine Warden Service Dive Team Searching For Missing Boater
June 14, 2026
MDIFW NEWS: Maine Warden Service Dive Team Searching For Missing Boater
ROCKLAND, Maine - The Maine Warden Service is searching for a missing Rockland man on Chickawaukie Lake in Rockland.
At approximately 8:00 a.m. this morning, a Rockland resident was outside working on his house when he heard a man yelling for help from the water. He ran down over the bank to help him while his wife called 911. When he got to the water, a small Zodiak style boat was in the water doing circles with a dog in it. A man was never actually seen in the boat or in the water. Rockland and Rockport Fire Departments arrived and managed to board the moving boat and turn it off, but could not find the operator of the boat.
The Maine Warden Service is actively searching the lake Timothy Payson, 59, of Rockland, who was confirmed to be the operator of the boat, and is missing. The Maine Warden Service is using divers and sonar to search for Payson. Currently, the Warden Service plans to search into the night utilizing sonar equipped watercraft.
The Warden Service is being assisted in the search by both the Rockland and Rockport Fire Departments, the Rockland and Rockport Police Departments , Knox County Sherrif's Office and the Thomaston Fire Department.
This release will be updated as new information becomes available.
IFW - Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife published this content on June 14, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on July 02, 2026 at 14:16 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]