Man drowns in Keego Harbor lake

Accidental drowning claimed the life of a man whose body was found floating near a dock at Dollar Lake in Keego Harbor on Sunday.

Keego Harbor Police Chief John Fitzgerald said the victim is identified as Aleksandr Levin, 56, whose last known address was in Bloomfield Hills.

The body was discovered at around 8 a.m. Oct. 3 by a man who was walking his dog near his home on the lake, Fitzgerald said.

The man told police he had seen someone who appeared to be the same person on the dock at around 2:30 a.m. that same morning, and that he had appeared to be fishing, Fitzgerald said. A fishing pole was reportedly found in the water near Levin’s body.

The body was recovered by West Bloomfield firefighters who responded to the scene, along with police.

Dollar Lake is a small, shallow lake connected to Cass Lake via a canal. Fitzgerald said the water depth wasn’t more than four feet where the drowning occurred, in the east end of the lake.

And while the Oakland County Medical Examiner determined accidental drowning was the cause of Levin’s death, alcohol use was a possible factor, said Fitzgerald, who reminds residents to be careful in and around bodies of water, particularly when consuming alcohol.

“Even though boating season is coming to a close, people should always use caution around water, especially if they’ve been drinking,” he said.

Toxicology reports conducted at autopsy aren’t expected to be completed for several weeks.

Fitzgerald noted that this is the first drowning in Dollar Lake that he’s aware of during his four years as Keego Harbor’s police chief.

“It’s a very rare occurrence,” he said.