Two Drown In Unrelated Cases, Johnston County Authorities Say
Posted August 18, 2005 2:34 a.m. EDT
SMITHFIELD, N.C. — A 14-year-old boy and an elderly man drowned Wednesday in two different Johnston County ponds in two unrelated cases, authorities said.
Shortly before 4 p.m. Wednesday, authorities responded to a call to a pond near
Poplar and Hillcrest drives
just outside of Smithfield. Officials said Yancy Malina had been at the pond with another boy when the boat overturned.
Malina's friend swam to shore and then ran to get help. Sylvester Wilson was the let the boy use his cell phone to call 911.
"The boy came running up to me and said, 'Do you have a cell phone?' I said yes. He asked if I could use it. He said his friend didn't know how to swim and they had fell off the boat," recalled Wilson.
Those close to the family say the mother feels guilty because she let her son go to the pond despite an instinct telling her not to.
"She said for some reason she had funny feeling, but he (Yancy) insisted. He said 'Please Mom, can I go? I want to go with my friend," described Martha Montana, a friend of the boy's family.
Malina was supposed to start high school next week, and friends say he was looking forward to it.
Earlier Thursday, the Johnston County Sheriff's Department said an elderly man, whose identity has not been released, fell out of a boat Wednesday morning while fishing at a private pond at
8516 Brogden Road
in Smithfield.
Investigators said they do not suspect foul play was involved.
