Gainesville Firefighter/EMT killed on Lake Tugalo

A Gainesville Firefighter and EMT was killed over the weekend on Lake Tugalo in Rabun County.

According to Mark McKinnon with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Chandler Breck Patterson, age 27, of Braselton fell off an inner tube being pulled by a boat.

McKinnon said the boater, identified as 20-year-old Kaplan Stacy Mitchell of Clayton, turned around to pick Patterson up and it is believed Patterson was either run over or hit by the boat.

Mitchell was arrested and charged with Homicide by Vessel, Boating Under the Influence Under 21 Years of Age, Towing Skier Without a PFD (personal floatation device), Operating a Vessel with Greater Than 25 hp on Tugalo Lake, Operating a Vessel with insufficient PFD’s, and Operating a Vessel With Expired Registration.

Patterson’s body was found Sunday afternoon by game wardens and was recovered by the Oconee County, SC dive team in about 117 feet of water.

The Georgia DNR Critical Incident Reconstruction Team (CIRT) is investigating the incident.

Rescue crews from Oconee County aided in the search for Patterson using sonar in the lake.