Lobsterman Found Dead on Runaway Boat

Officials say a 78-year-old lobsterman was found dead on his boat after the Coast Guard and Maine Marine Patrol responded to a runaway lobster boat in Rockland.

A ferry operator spotted the boat going in circles near Owls Head State Park on Friday afternoon with an unresponsive person lying on the deck of the vessel.

Officials tell the Portland Press Herald that it took several attempts to get someone on board the boat because of the 3-to-4-foot seas and 20-knot winds.

A Coast Guard member tried to revive Robert Staples of North Haven but was unsuccessful. He was pronounced dead by awaiting emergency responders on land. A Department of Marine Resources official says the state medical examiner has determined that Staples died of natural causes.