Officials identify drowning victim

The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries said on Tuesday that Barry Phillipe was the man who drowned early Monday at Smith Mountain Lake.

Phillipe, 37, of Moneta was fishing around 2 a.m. Monday when his 1977 bass boat began to sink, according to the agency. Danielle Bratton, 20, of Hardy and Bobby Smith, 23, of Wirtz also were in the boat, but they were able to make it to shore.

Authorities plan to raise the boat to determine why it sank in about 25 feet of water. Crews were able to find the boat using an underwater camera.

Phillipe was the second drowning victim this month at the lake. Earlier this month, 12-year-old Marvin Hubert Strickland Jr. of Gretna drowned while on a church outing.