Maine community mourns town manager who died saving 4-year-old son who fell through ice

A Maine town is mourning the loss of their town manager, who died after rescuing his 4-year-old son after both plunged through the ice at a local pond on Friday morning.

Kevin Howell, 51, of Carmel, was crossing a portion of Etna Pond with his son less than a mile from their house around 6:30 a.m. Friday when they broke through the ice. Howell was able to get his son out of the water and told him to run and get his mother, the Maine Warden Service said.

The boy quickly ran home and told his mother, who called 911 and rushed to help her husband. She grabbed an anchor and rope and tied the rope to shore, but when she went to help her husband she also broke through the ice and was unable to get out.

Penobscot Sheriff Detective Jordan Norton responded to a 911 call, spotted Howell’s wife in the water and crawled across the ice, holding onto the rope, He was able to pull her out of the ice, but he wasn't able to find her husband.

Six Maine Warden Service divers and one state police diver were called to the scene. Two warden service divers began a search about 1:40 p.m. and found Howell about 20 minutes later.

Howell served as the town manager in the town of Carmel, a town of about 2,800 residents located near Bangor in central Maine.

Dan Frye, chairman of the Carmel Board of Selectmen, told News Center Maine he wasn't surprised to hear about the sacrifice Howell made to save his son.

"That’s Kevin. He loved his family, he loved his community, and he would always work his hardest and do his best for those people," Frye said.

He said Howell had a special bond with his son, and would frequently share news about him with coworkers.

"He would always take that minute before the meeting to show us that latest photo," Frye said.

Melissa Doane, the town manager of neighboring Bradley, said Howell was "beyond dedicated," adding that he took a great amount of pride in everything he did.

Howell received the 2020 leadership award from the Maine Town and City Management Association in 2020 for his work on behalf of his town. He was also a member of the Carmel Historical Society and a member of the Carmel Snowmobile Club.

Elizabeth Dubrowski, a local Spanish teacher, remembered Howell as a compassionate leader with patience.

"It doesn’t matter what kind of person you are, he [would] say 'Yes, sit down, take a seat, let’s talk about it," Dubrowski said.

Frye said the Carmel Board of Selectmen will meet Monday to discuss a plan for how town leadership will move forward following Howell's death.