COLLEGE STATION MAN CONVICTED IN SWIMMER’S DEATH
(Burleson Co. Jail)
A College Station man has been convicted and sentenced in the July 2020 drowning death of a swimmer at Lake Somerville.
44-year-old Ovie Powell was found guilty of criminal negligent homicide. Powell was driving a boat that struck 30-year-old Olivia Paige Sweeney at Birch Creek Park at Lake Somerville.
Authorities said that Powell was driving the boat in reverse near where people were swimming, and failed to be aware of the boat propeller’s proximity to the victim.
Powell was sentenced to one year in a state jail facility, and placed on probation for two years.
He must also perform 100 hours of community service for a horse rescue group in honor of his victim’s love for horses.
After obtaining the conviction, Burleson County Attorney Susan Deski said that as people enjoy their summer at Lake Somerville with family and friends, that they will continue to take the safety of residents and visitors seriously.
It is unbelievable the amount of drownings and incidents that occur at this lake. I grew up on a lake in Idaho where thousands of people visited every year and we would go years without a drowning incident. The lake itself was hundreds of feet deep with over 100 miles of shoreline. What is the problem with this place? Is there no enforcement activity on the lake? Do people learn to swim? It seems like stupidity must reign supreme on the water out there.