Two men diving at old Tuolumne mine site die
Two men who died in a scuba diving incident at the former Jamestown mine in Tuolumne County on Saturday were setting up safety equipment to prepare the lake and underwater mine shaft for an organized dive in May, according to a brother of one of the victims.
Jamie Pollard, 37, of Stockton was diving with three friends when he apparently panicked during the dive in a lake formed at the old gold mine off Harvard Mine Road, according to a Tuolumne County Sheriff's Department news release. Pollard was taken to Sonora hospital, where he died Saturday.
Another member of the diving group, Dale Allen Dedic, 34, of Lodi, was reported missing Saturday. His body was recovered from the lake Monday afternoon.
The lake is an old mine shaft that goes down about 500 feet, said sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Jeff Wilson.
Deputies responded to the mine site Saturday about 3:15 p.m. to a report of a missing person, the release said. There, Cameron Wheeler, 41, of Stockton told deputies he and three friends had been diving in the mine when Pollard appeared to panic for an unknown reason.
Wheeler brought Pollard to the surface, where he appeared to be OK. However, Pollard was later transported to Sonora Regional Medical Center and pronounced dead of unknown causes, the release said.
Wheeler told deputies he then went back down to locate Dedic but could not find him, according to the release. Wheeler resurfaced, and called 911.
On Monday, the Army Corps of Engineers located Dedic's body using special equipment at a depth of about 135 feet, Wilson said.
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