Boy fishing off Sandpoint pier hooks clothing of dead man

The Bonner County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team recovered the body of a 40-year-old Bonner County man Tuesday from Lake Pend Oreille after a boy hooked the man’s clothing while fishing.

Sandpoint police responded around 11:35 a.m. to the Statue of Liberty pier at City Beach where the boy was fishing, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office. The man, Gary Bonser, of Sagle, was located about 15 feet off the end of the pier, the release said.

It is unknown how long Bonser had been in the water, deputies said. The cause and circumstances of his death are under investigation.