Pasadena man presumed to have drowned

The Coast Guard suspended its search for a Pasadena man Friday, one day after he apparently fell off a work barge near Annapolis.

Gregory Luckett, of the 8600 block of Head Harbour, fell into the water near the mouth of the South River near Thomas Point.

He fell off the back of a 25-foot construction barge while returning from a work site, Coast Guard officials in Baltimore said.

"Suspending an active search is the hardest decision we have to make; we never make it lightly," said Capt. Mark P. O'Malley, commander of the Coast Guard's Baltimore sector. "Despite an exhaustive search we were unable to locate Mr. Luckett."

Coast Guard officials were unable to identify the boat towing the barge or the company operating it.

Luckett lives with his fiancee, Joyce Anderson, whom he has been with for 11 years. Anderson's 20-year-old son, Brian, said they last heard from Luckett around 2 p.m. Thursday.

"They were towing a barge and a storm came along and he lost his balance and fell overboard," he said.

There were two other men on the barge with Luckett. Anderson said the family got a call late Thursday night, and although the search has been suspended they still hope Luckett is found.

Petty Officer Robert Brazzelo, another spokesman for the Coast Guard, said searches are suspended based on a system that calculates potential survivability. Water temperatures in the Chesapeake Bay this week are in the mid 50s.

He couldn't speculate further on the details of Luckett's situation since the case is still under investigation.

The Natural Resources Police, county Fire Department, state police and county police also helped in the search for Luckett.