Coast Guard suspends search for missing swimmer

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, NC (WWAY) — The Coast Guard has suspended their search for a missing swimmer in Wrightsville Beach Wednesday night.

The missing swimmer was identified as Chuck Kuebler, a man active in the Cape Fear community.

Scott Sandlin posted to the Wilmington Post 10 Baseball Facebook page early Wednesday, asking for prayers for Kuebler, who is the father Jonathan Kuebler, a player on the team.

Fred Lynch, the athletic director of Laney Highschool, said he was shocked when he found out.

“For the Laney community, Chuck has always been a number one supporter,” Lynch said. “He’s done a lot of things for Laney and for me.”

Lynch said Kuebler was the president of the booster club when his son was in high school and continued in that role even after he graduated.

“You know, at times he could drive me nuts with his passion about things he wanted but you know he is somebody that every school and every athletic program loved to have around, because he just made sacrifices and did what he could to help,” Lynch said.

He said he hopes the community can be there to help Kuebler’s family.

“We feel for them,” Lynch said. “We’ll pray for them and we just hope that everyone can come together to make the best of a tragic situation.”

Laney HS also posted a tweet Tuesday, saying “Please keep the Kuebler family in all of your prayers.”

Please keep the Kuebler family in all of your prayers #WeAreFamily

— Laney HS (@LaneyHSNews) July 27, 2016

According to his LinkedIn account, Kuebler works in business development and consultation.

He was also active with the Laney booster club and was part of a community group that supported building a minor league baseball stadium in the Port City.

Crews are still searching for Kuebler.

The Coast Guard said early Wednesday that rescuers started their search again just after sunrise by both boat and air.

Wrightsville Beach Police Chief Dan House said the swimmer was last seen by his wife near Access 33 by the water tower Tuesday morning.

House also said that ocean rescue crews pulled Kuebler out of the water on Monday. He said Kuebler was swimming in that same area in Wrightsville Beach about 300 yards out. He said ocean rescue crews were concerned about him, so they went out to get him. House said he did not know if Kuebler was actually in distress.

The Coast Guard said there are no official plans to stop the search overnight.