Fort Belknap drowning victim ID'd

John Kelleher Havre Daily News [email protected]

Eric Wegner, 31, of Fort Belknap, the father of three young girls, drowned in a swimming accident on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation Saturday. Fort Belknap police have not responded to calls for comment, but LeRoy LongKnife, a cousin of the victim, said Wegner was swimming with friends when he went underwater and was pulled away by the undercurrent. His body was recovered about five hours later a considerable distance away. LongKnife said he was raised as a brother to Wegner and was saddened by his death. Wegner was going for his Army physical in Helena early next month. "He was going to join the Army. He was looking to change his life around," LongKnife said. "He really loved his little girls," he said. "He was a single father." The girls had recently gone to live with their mother in Browning, he said, because Wegner planned to join the Army.