A missed opportunity for a boat ride along Fox River in the early days of a mentoring retreat led to the drowning deaths of three West Side teens.
A missed opportunity for a boat ride along Fox River in the early days of a mentoring retreat led to the drowning deaths of three West Side teens.
Jimmie Avant, 18, Melvin Choice, 17, and Adrian Jones, 16, were among 31 male students from North Lawndale College Prep on an annual leadership retreat at Camp Algonquin.
When two of the boys missed a chance to go on a boat ride a few days into the trip, they decided to sneak out while their chaperones were asleep and go for a ride on the final day of the eight-day "Minority Men" retreat, according to a few students who attended the trip.
The teens drowned Friday after the paddle boat they attempted to take out for a ride immediately sank. The boat’s plugs were taken out for the winter season, and notes were posted in the camp’s sleeping and dining areas warning students to stay away from the water, said Paul Murray, a chief volunteer officer for the YMCA of McHenry County.
After two of the boys went out for a late night ride and became distressed, a third jumped in to help, officials said, who could not determine which boys went in the water first.
Calls to emergency services about a capsized boat came in at about 2:30 a.m., said Julie Didier, spokesperson for the Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Fire Protection District.
Didier said all three bodies were found–several hours later–at least 25 feet off the shore, and when the calls came in to emergency services, the area was completely dark and the current was "pretty intensive."
Parents of the teens questioned why the boats were not chained or secured since they were not supposed to be in service.
Calls by the Defender to the camp officials were not returned by press time.
"They were some dynamic young men, that’s why they were chosen for the retreat," said Lacael Pratt, assistant principal of North Lawndale, adding that the students are "taking it pretty hard."
Choice, a junior and a guard on the basketball team, was described by his family as a "stand-up guy" and a good swimmer. He was looking forward to attending college.
"This is tough for everyone, especially his girlfriend. She’s not doing too good," said Maurice Williams Jr., a teammate of Choice’s. They also played baseball for the school.
Jones’ family said he and the rest of the boys in the program were good kids who didn’t get involved in drugs or gangs.
"I was always greeted with a hug and a kiss each time we met,” said Jones’ aunt, Doris Jones. Brigette Jones-Cooper, Adrian’s mother, said her son was a "high achiever."
Avant’s family said the 18-year-old wanted to be an entrepreneur and didn’t have a selfish bone in his body.
"He was a model child, a good boy," said his mother Sharon Gowdy.
Services for the teens have not been finalized. ______ Copyright 2008 Chicago Defender. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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