80 Year Old St. Albans man missing after ice fishing

[Henry]

St. Albans man missing after ice fishing

ST. ALBANS — Police are looking for an 80-year-old St. Albans man who failed to return from an ice-fishing trip Thursday.

James E. Hance left home at about 7 a.m. and his family says he usually returns by 2:30 p.m.

Hance may be wearing an olive-colored coat, blue winter hat, flannel shirt and gray fishing pants, He also may be driving a green 1994 Toyota pickup with Vermont registration BBT 478.

Anyone with information is asked to call St. Albans City Police at 524-2166.

[Henry]

Police in Franklin County are searching for a missing man last seen on his way to go ice fishing on Lake Champlain.

Friends and family of 80 year-old James Hance became concerned when he did not return home Thursday afternoon. They began searching on LaPan Bay, his usual fishing grounds. They later contacted police to join in the search. Hance's 1994 green Toyota pickup is also missing. Anyone with information is asked to call the St. Albans City Police.

[Henry]

Channel 3 News Reported tonight on the 6 p.m. Newscast:

After the weather forced rescuers in St. Albans to suspend their search of a missing elderly fisherman yesterday -- crews were out in full force today. 80-year-old James Hance did not return home from his fishing trip on Thursday afternoon. Authorities have focused their search around LaPan Bay. A border patrol helicopter is searching from the air. Hance's 1994 green Toyota pickup is also missing.

Chief Gary Taylor/St. Albans City Police: "We have done both ground and some limited ice searches. We believe at this point enough time has passed that we're attempting to locate Mr. Hance, and therefore we're not willing to compromise safety for the people who are participating."  Five different crews are working on the search. It has been suspended for the rest of the day, and they will determine if the search will continue tomorrow.

[Henry]

A sad development in the search for a missing fisherman. Monday, crews recovered the body of James Hance, 80, from Lake Champlain.

Two of the missing man's friends spotted Hance's truck at the bottom of Lake Champlain at about 11:30 a.m. It was under the ice in about 6-7 feet of water.

Monday afternoon, the U.S. Coast Guard and Vt. State Police dive team recovered Hance's body from inside the submerged truck.

Hance had been missing since Thursday, when he never returned from an ice-fishing trip. Search crews have been looking for him since.

[Henry]

St. Albans, Vermont - February 4, 2008

The search for a missing fisherman in St. Albans came to a tragic end Monday afternoon. Friends of James Hance, 80, located his truck under the ice on Lapan Bay.

Hance was reported missing Thursday night when he didn't return from ice fishing. Monday morning it sounded like police were getting ready to call off the search, when determined friends and family decided to check one more spot.

The frozen surface of Lapan Bay gave no signs of James Hance's presence. A day after Border Patrol helicopters first searched for him a storm blew through and covered any tracks he may have left.

But Monday morning, right around 11:30 a.m. two friends noticed a large pressure crack in the ice and thought to take a look.

"Mr. Hance is an avid ice fisherman and he normally drives out and ice fishes this area and due to the instability of the ice, the thickness wasn't sufficient enough to support a vehicle," said Vt. State Police Det. Sgt. Kirk Cooper.

Hance's truck was sitting in about six feet of water just below the water's surface, with Hance still in the driver's seat. Police say it looks like the truck simply fell through the ice about 120 feet from the shore.

"And the Vermont State Police dive team was contacted and came up to the scene and arrived approximately 3:30 p.m.," explained Cooper.

After cutting a larger hole, divers managed to pull Hance's body from the water at about 4:10 p.m. Family members stood on shore crying and holding each other for support. Friends commented on the tragedy, saying they are at least thankful to know what happened.

Members of the Saint Albans Town Fire Department felt one last thing needed to be done to bring full closure to the family. They volunteered to pull Hance's truck from the water Monday night. For a vehicle that took mere seconds to vanish beneath the ice, getting it back out proved to be incredibly difficult.

"It's because the ice is going down. The truck's falling on the ice and falling down and coming out you're pulling against all the ice trying to get it out," explained Randy Swann, Assistant Fire Chief for the Saint Albans Town Fire Department.

Firefighters wore survival suits and life jackets as they tried repeatedly to free the rear tires from the ice. They used chainsaws to cut large holes around the wheels, and large jacks to raise the truck from the water. Several times the truck broke back through the ice, sending the jacks crashing to the surface. Finally, firefighters used inflatable air bags to support the truck.

After more than two-and-a-half hours of pulling, cutting and pulling again, the wheels finally broke free and brought with them a giant chuck of ice three feet long and more than a foot thick. Some of Hance's ice fishing gear was still in the bed.

An autopsy is planned, but police say this was likely just a case of the ice being too thin. Firefighters are hoping this tragedy serves as a reminder to other fishermen to check the ice before then venture on to it, and to be especially careful about where they drive.

Bianca Slota - WCAX News

[Henry]

James Edward Hance
St. Albans

Mr. James Edward Hance, age 80, died Thursday, January 31, 2008, on Lake Champlain, doing his life long passion, fishing.

Jim is survived by his wife, the love of his life and forever companion, Anita DeMarse, his daughters; Barbara & her husband Ken Saltzberg, Jeanmarie Hance, Catherine & her husband Russell Moulaison, his son, Tom Hance & his wife Shirley, his step children, Stuart & his wife Sue DeMarse, Susan and her husband Bernie Gladden, Cathy and her husband Gary O'Dell, Carlene Brow, Karen and her husband Dan Orr. "Grandpa Jim", also known as "Poppy" leaves behind several grandchildren and great grandchildren.

He served his country in the U.S. Navy during WW II, serving on the USS Otter. He was an active member of the American Legion Post #1, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #758.

Jim's Family is especially grateful to Charlie Thomas and Chuck Machia for their unrelenting search for Jim. They also wish to thank his other friends for their love for him and what he represented in the Saint Albans fishing community for more than 70 years. Jim's main concern was to make sure people enjoyed the lake, the land and wildlife so dear to him and we know he wants that to continue.

A celebration of Jim’s life will be held at the American Legion Hall, Thursday, February 7, 2008, from 6 to 10 P.M. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Jim Hance Lake Champlain Rescue Memorial Fund. Money will be used to modernize technical water search resources for the Saint Albans Town Fire Department. Online memorials may be sent to the family by the funeral home website: www.bnlfh.com. Arrangements are entrusted to the Brady & Levesque Funeral Home and Commemorative Services.