Bradenton boy, 6, presumed drowned off Coquina Beach

which caught hold of him after be jumped off a wood jetty at the southern tip of Cocquina Beach, said Sgt. James Gill of the Bradenton Beach Police Department.

Gill then pointed to the wooden jetty.

“That’s a spot known for bad currents,” Gill said. “There are signs there not to enter the water. The life guards, unfortunately, were off duty. As a general rule, we caution people not to swim

near barrier islands.”

After Lamontea went missing at 6 p.m. during a family cookout, authorities searched for him until after dark Saturday and resumed the search unsuccessfully during the daylight hours Sunday, Gill said.

“We have gone from a rescue operation to a recovery operation,” Gill said at 3 p.m. Sunday. “We will continue the search all during daylight Sunday a couple of miles south of Longboat Pass.”

Because of the vast area going south from Cocquina Beach, the strength of the rescue team could not be fully perceived. Gill said. But he said it included two Florida Wildlife Conservation boats and an airplane, one Manatee County Sheriff’s Office boat and two deputies, a Bradenton Beach Police Department boat and two officers, a Longboat Key Police Department boat and one officer and a U.S. Coast Guard boat with an unknown amount of crew.

Source: RICHARD DYMOND, Bradenton Herald