CLINTON COUNTY — A 62-year-old Aviston man who had been reported last week was found dead inside his submerged vehicle in Brewster Creek near Boulder.

Gerald Richter was pronounced dead at the scene, where his Ford Explorer was found submerged in 11 to 12 feet of water.
According to Clinton County Sheriff Doug Maue, Richter apparently ran off the Boulder Road at the Brewster Creek Bridge for unknown reasons. Richter had a clubhouse in the area. He had been reported missing on Thursday.

During a search Monday, one of the license plates from Richter’s Explorer was found near a damaged guard rail.
The Huey-Boulder-Ferrin Fire Department, the Keyesport and Greenville Fire Department Dive Teams, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer park rangers all responded to the scene, with the divers locating the vehicle after a device used by the U.S. Army Corps alerted to its location. The vehicle was found about two hours after the discovery of the license plate.

Maue says it appears Richter had been dead for several days, and his death is being investigated as a traffic accident.
According to Maue, water levels in the creek are about twice as high as normal due to the high level of Carlyle Lake.
Gerald Richter’s obituary can be viewed on our website on the Obits page.