Body of Weiss Lake's latest victim recovered

By SCOTT WRIGHT

LEESBURG — A sad tradition that began not long after Weiss Lake was completed 51 years ago continued over the Memorial Day weekend when an Indiana native drowned in the man-made reservoir. 

Just over a month after a 17-year-old from Centre died in the lake, 44-year-old Paul Clarke Cooke jumped off a pontoon boat near Weiss Dam in Leesburg on Saturday, May 25, and never resurfaced. 

Reports indicate Cooke was boating with friends and family when he and two others in the party decided to jump in the water for a swim. The northern section of the 2,400-acre forebay, where the incident occurred, typically measures over 20 feet deep at this time of year. 

Cooke’s body was recovered Monday afternoon by members of the Cherokee County Rescue Squad. They were assisted by the Alabama Marine Police, Leesburg Police Department the deputies from the office of Cherokee County Sheriff Jeff Shaver. Members of the Piedmont Rescue Squad also took part in the search.

According to the WEIS Radio website, Cooke had recently moved to the Blue Pond community to live with family.