Missing boater's body found; authorities release ID

Divers found the body of a missing boater in a Berkeley County creek early Monday morning, hours after his family reported him overdue from a fishing trip, authorities said.

James Hutson, 40, of Mount Pleasant, left Remleys Point Boat Landing in Mount Pleasant on Sunday morning, said Lee Bower, search and rescue coordinator with the Coast Guard's Sector Charleston. Hutson's family reported him overdue at 9:30 p.m., about three hours after he was expected to return.

His father and brother searched the waters on their own and found his 16-foot johnboat in Beresford Creek around 10:30 p.m., Bower said. The creek flows into the Wando River above Daniel Island. It was an area where Hutson often fished.

Hutson's Labrador retriever was still inside the boat, said Bill Salisbury, Berkeley County chief deputy coroner and captain of the Berkeley County Rescue Squad.

"The engine was still running, the boat was in neutral, and the boat had drifted against a private dock," Salisbury said.

The dock sits near the end of Rebellion Farms Place, he said. Divers from the Charleston County Sheriff's Office found Hutson's body at 2:45 a.m. The deputy coroner pronounced Hutson dead at the scene. Hutson fell overboard and drowned, Salisbury said. The state Department of Natural Resources and the Coroner's Office were investigating.

The Coast Guard reported sending out a helicopter and a boat. The DNR and local law enforcement assisted the search.