A toxicology report should be available in the next several weeks, authorities said.
Family members said Lucas was intoxicated Thursday while playing at the Smith Park splash pad. Police could not confirm whether alcohol was a factor in his death but did report finding a half-empty bottle of liquor in his vehicle.
Lucas reportedly told family he was going to smoke a cigarette before walking down to the pond and diving off the dock. Witnesses said he got halfway across the water before yelling for help and submerging.
Middletown police Maj. Mark Hoffman said Lucas' body was located by emergency search teams five hours later, 55 feet from the dock about 18 feet under the water’s surface. He was removed from the water about five hours after emergency crews were dispatched. However, Hoffman said it’s unknown how long it took for people at the park to call 911 after Lucas entered the water.
His family described him as a loving man who struggled with alcoholism — an issue that frequently brought him into Middletown Municipal Court.
According to court documents, Lucas was charged with intoxication and open flask six times since 1995 and received his fourth driving while intoxicated charge in 1993.
He was scheduled to be arraigned on heroin-related charges Friday in Middletown Municipal Court, but those were withdrawn due to his death, according to court records.
As a young man, Lucas would bring relatives to Smith Park for summer afternoons of fishing and swimming, said Christine Lucarelli, 18, one of his cousins.
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