MUDDY CREEK TWP — An ice fisherman from Summit Township died Saturday after falling through ice at Lake Arthur. The angler, 73-year-old Kenneth L. Andres, was unconscious when a Moraine State Park ranger pulled him from the icy water shortly after 5 p.m. Rescuers immediately did life-saving techniques on Andres before he was taken to Butler Memorial Hospital, where he later was pronounced dead. The death was ruled an accidental drowning, said Butler County Coroner William Young III. No autopsy was done. Andres was fishing alone with his dog, and authorities do not know how long he had been in the water, said park manager Dan Bickel. The shepherd-mix dog also may have fallen into the water but was able to get out. The animal was found next to Andres’ truck, which was parked near the park’s regional office on Old Route 422. Bickel said Andres and his dog had arrived that afternoon and walked about a mile and a half across the lake to its Big Run tributary. Bickel said the ice was about 4 inches thick at the spot where Andres fell in. “That’s generally substantial enough for one person,” Bickel said. “But it was a warm afternoon (Saturday).”
