His boat was located late last week but authorities report no sign of Lonnie James Johnson, 65, of Chesapeake Beach.
The avid fisherman and business owner was reported as “overdue” Nov. 14, according to the Maryland Natural Resources Police, after going out on the Chesapeake Bay the previous day in his white, 23-foot center console vessel near the coast of Chesapeake Beach.
On Nov. 14, natural resources police reported, “the unoccupied vessel was found this morning by the reporting party in the area of Taylors Island in Dorchester County after tracking the man’s cellphone location.”
The agency said a search of the area where Johnson had been reported fishing was conducted over the weekend. It involved the Maryland State Police Aviation, the U.S. Coast Guard, Anne Arundel County Fire Department, volunteer fire departments from North Beach, Huntingtown, St. Leonard, dive teams from Calvert and Charles counties plus over a dozen volunteer watermen.
Due to adverse weather conditions the search was suspended Sunday.
“Investigators are processing the vessel’s chart plotter and the subject’s phone that was located aboard to aid in the search,” natural resources police spokesman Hunter Dortenzo told Southern Maryland News Monday morning.
Johnson is the owner of Geyejigs, which sells weighted fishing lures and is well known among the bay fishing community.
Anyone who may have seen related boating activity or has information regarding Johnson’s known locations since his departure from Chesapeake Beach should contact natural resources police at 410-260-8888.
