Man’s Drowning Did Not Involve Foul Play, Police Say
Police on Thursday ruled out foul play in the death of a 37-year-old transient who drowned in Newport Bay sometime this week.
Police said the man, Charles Edward Arthur, had been dead for at least three days before a passerby noticed his body floating in the bay off the 3300 block of North Coast Highway on Wednesday.
“It was a drowning,” said Police Sgt. Steve Van Horn. “There were no signs of trauma.”
Van Horn said tests to determine whether there were any drugs in Arthur’s system would not be completed for more than a month.
Police Sgt. Andy Gonis said an officer on the force recognized Arthur as a transient who frequented the area, with whom police had previous contact.
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