Kayaker Drowns From Accident On Stoner Creek

WARREN TAYLOR | Citizen Staff

Rescue officials recovered the body of a Bourbon County man from Stoner Creek around noon on Monday, Aug. 3, in an area off Spears Mill Road near North Middletown.
According to Bourbon County Sheriff Tony Asbury, Charles R. Insko, 43, was reported missing while on a group kayaking trip around 7 p.m. after he was sucked into the water near a dam.
“They had gotten out before the dam to unload their kayaks and were going to put in below the dam,” Asbury said.
According to information provided to the Citizen by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, Insko’s kayak started to drift toward the dam once it was back in the water. When another member of the group began to maneuver toward the kayak, Insko entered the water to assist the other kayaker who was overturned in the water, at which time he lost his footing and was swept under by the turbulent water.
The water level was above average due to heavy rain over the weekend resulting in stronger currents.
Several local law enforcement and rescue teams from surrounding counties assisted the sheriff’s office, and the KDWFR during the two-day search said Asbury.
Sheriff Asbury would not confirm if the victim was wearing a life jacket due to the KDWFR’s ongoing investigation. Still, he did urge their use on all local waterways.
“We will encourage everyone who is participating in any kind of water sport on open waters like that to wear a life jacket,” he said.
Coroner Dee Gee Ison-Roe knows the family and says Insko was an experienced kayaker who practiced water safety. She calls the drowning a freak accident.