SUSPECT MAKES FIRST COURT APPEARANCE IN LAKE SOMERVILLE DEATH

  

A College Station man, charged in the death of a woman at Lake Somerville this summer, made his initial court appearance this week on a criminally negligent homicide charge.

43-year-old Ovie Powell II, is charged in connection with the death of Olivia Paige Sweeney in July, during an outing at the lake.

Powell appeared before District Judge Reva Towslee Corbett, who reset a non-trial session for February 19^th.

Powell was arrested by College Station police and released on a $20,000 bond following his October indictment in Burleson County.

Sweeney died on July 18 at Lake Somerville while swimming several hundred yards from shore near Birch Creek State Park.  Authorities say Powell was operating a boat in reverse in the vicinity of swimmers and failed to note Sweeney’s proximity to the boat propeller.