Louisiana Authorities Find Body of Missing Boater on Ouachita River

Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries 09.23.12

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement Division agents and Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies found the body of Charles Trascher, 64, of Monroe, on the Ouachita River in Ouachita Parish this morning, Sept. 22.

Trascher was reported missing shortly after 6 p.m. on Sept. 20 when he did not return home from a fishing trip according to his family. Authorities recovered Trascher’s 17-foot aluminum vessel in the Ouachita River near West Monroe during the evening hours of Sept. 20.

Agents and deputies searched for Trascher throughout the night of Sept. 20 and all day Sept. 21. Trascher’s body was found around 6:30 a.m. without a personal flotation device about one mile south from where his vessel was found.

LDWF had two sonar units on scene to assist in the search. LDWF will be the lead investigative agency for this boating incident.

Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries – Enforcement Division(LDWF) is the fish & game regulatory agency of Louisiana. It has jurisdictionanywhere in the state, and in state territorial waters. The agency enforces both state and federal laws dealing with hunting, fishing, and boating safety. The agency also enforces criminal laws in rural areas including DWI enforcement both on highways and waterways. Most of the Department’s Wildlife Agents also carry Federal law enforcement commissions issued from the United States Department of the Interior - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and United States Department of Commerce - U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). These federal commissions allow these state officers to enforce federal migratory waterfowl laws and federal marine fisheries laws in state and federal waters off the coast of Louisiana. Besides their traditional role as a “game warden”, Louisiana Wildlife Enforcement Agents also have a number of other responsibilities, including conducting board of health inspections on some portions of the state’s commercial fishing industry. Agents are trained in and conduct numerous search and rescue operations, both in remote land areas and on the state’s waterways. Agents ensure that hunters, anglers, boaters, dealers, breeders, farmers, and transporters are in compliance with regulations governing equipment, quotas, licenses, and registrations. Agents also assist other State departments and law enforcement agencies in the coordination of educational and professional endeavors, as well as national and state emergency alerts by the Federal Office of Emergency Preparedness. In addition, agents perform search and rescue missions alone or in conjunction with other local, state, and federal agencies.