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HARVEYS LAKE — Police Chief Charles Musial confirmed a man’s body was recovered from the lake Thursday evening.

The man, who was identified as 24-year-old Dakota Watkins by the Luzerne County Coroner’s Office, had been working on an addition to a boathouse along Lakeside Drive at Pole 131 and was found unresponsive in the water by the homeowner, Musial said.

Musial said police and emergency services were dispatched to the residence at 5:20 p.m. Thursday.

Officials at the coroner’s office said Watkins’ cause of death was drowning complicated by electric shock, and the manner of death was accidental.

An engineer with Barry Isett & Associates, Harvey Lake Borough’s third-party building code service, found the electrical wiring in the new structure was installed incorrectly, which caused the electrical shock Watkins received from a boat lift, Musial said.

Musial would not release the name of the contractor who employed the man.

Friday morning, the police chief was at the boathouse along with representatives from Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Barry Isett & Associates.

“A stop-work order is in place for this property,” he said. “Violations were found at the site. That is all I can say right now.”

As of Friday afternoon, the police investigation was complete and the case being handled by OSHA, Musial said.

Reporter Travis Kellar contributed to this report.

Police said the body of a 24-year-old man who was working on a Harveys Lake boathouse at Pole 131, shown above, was recovered from the lake Thursday.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_20160722_105430-5.jpg.optimal.jpgPolice said the body of a 24-year-old man who was working on a Harveys Lake boathouse at Pole 131, shown above, was recovered from the lake Thursday.

By Eileen Godin

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Reach Eileen Godin at 570-991-6387 or on Twitter @TLNews.