Deputy's death attributed to drowning, hypothermia

"There were no surprises in the autopsy," sheriff's Lt. Lance Modispacher said.

Ed Callahan, 54, died Sunday after he and boat patrol officer Wes Rice were stepping from their patrol boat onto the dinghy when a large wave hit and capsized the smaller craft.

The two officers were thrown into the water along with the harbor master, who had come out to ferry them some 200 feet to shore at Zephyr Cove.

The harbor master managed to climb onto the boat and helped officer Rice out of the water, but Callahan disappeared. His body was retrieved 15 minutes later.

Callahan was a retired customs agent who had begun his third summer as a Douglas County boat patrolman this weekend, deputies said. He is survived by his wife and three children.

The officers' life jackets were on board. Neither had the chance to put them on.

A funeral service will be held Friday afternoon in Hemet, Calif., with the Douglas County Honor Guard serving as pallbearers. A local memorial service is tentatively scheduled for June 2 at the Zephyr Cove Marina.

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