Search recovers man’s body in Saco River

HIRAM – The body of a 33-year-old Baldwin man was found in the Saco River on Wednesday, a day after he got swept away in the current while swimming across the river.

The body of Stephen Hawkes was recovered around 11 a.m.

The Maine Warden Service said Hawkes, whose name had been spelled differently in an earlier agency report, went missing about 4 p.m. Tuesday.

Authorities said a fast-moving current contributed to the apparent drowning death, and they warned people against swimming in rivers or streams with moving water.

Officials said recent thunderstorms with heavy downpours of rain have raised water levels in rivers and streams statewide by as much as 3 feet, causing fast-moving currents and creating murky waters that can hide obstacles.

“Any moving water is a dangerous body of water, and people should be mindful of the currents and not go in,” Warden Norm Lewis said in a prepared statement.