FRANKLIN COUNTY, Va. (rbs news now) — A 54-year-old Roanoke man died on June 10 following a boating incident at Smith Mountain Lake, according to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR).

James Lavender was aboard a fishing boat with four others when he jumped into the lake for a swim around 3:40 p.m. near the Penhook area of Franklin County.

DWR said Lavender was not wearing a life jacket and began to struggle after swimming a short distance.

He went underwater and did not resurface.

Emergency responders, including Smith Mountain Lake Fire and Rescue and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, assisted at the scene.

Lavender’s body was recovered later that evening.

The incident remains under investigation by the DWR.

In a separate, unrelated incident the same day, a man was pulled from the water in the Moneta area of the lake and transported by air to a hospital.

His condition has not been released.

Copyright 2025 by Romero Broadcasting System, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced, rewritten, or redistributed.

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ORIGINAL STORY — June 10

FRANKLIN COUNTY, Va. (rbs news now) — One person is dead and another was hospitalized following two separate water-related incidents at Smith Mountain Lake on June 10, according to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies were first called around 3:30 p.m. to the area of Three Point Isle Drive in Penhook, where a man reportedly jumped off a boat to swim to a dock but never resurfaced.

Authorities later confirmed that the swimmer was found deceased.

Roughly 30 minutes later, officials responded to a second emergency near Halesford Bridge in Moneta.

A man had jumped into the water and was later recovered by first responders.

Life-saving measures were initiated at the scene, and the man was flown by helicopter to a nearby hospital.

His condition has not been released.

Both individuals were recovered from the lake, and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office is continuing its investigations into each incident.

Updates will be provided as more information becomes available.

Copyright 2025 by Romero Broadcasting System, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced, rewritten, or redistributed.