A man who recovered some equipment being used by two teenage duck hunters who needed rescuing after their boat sank nearly two weeks ago said he’s returned what he was able to salvage.
David McKinney retrieved Ethan Andrews’ life vests and a Yeti cooler after Andrews’ flat bottom boat sank on the Tangipahoa River near the state line on Jan. 7 and returned it to Andrews this past Saturday.
Andrews and his buddy Ethan Jackson were duck hunting when a log snagged the propeller on the boat’s trolling motor and sank it, along with their shotguns, ammo, some clothing and other items.
McKinney, who is distantly related to Jackson by marriage, said he told some people in a convenience store about the incident, that he had found the gear and planned on returning it, and that somehow got twisted into a story that he had scavenged it for keeps.
Stephanie Andrews, Ethan Andrews’ mother, confirmed that McKinney returned the equipment.
McKinney said he lives upstream on the Tangipahoa River and was familiar with the area where they sank.
“I know that river up and down,” he said.
And while he’s never sank a boat there, he’s also had his share of bad luck.
“In a flooded river I flipped a canoe a few years ago and had to swim it out,” he said, adding that once he got the boat ashore “a snake started coming out from under the seats.”
