ST. MARTIN PARISH - Authorities say a man drowned while attempting to retrieve a boat Saturday afternoon.

At approximately 3:30 p.m. deputies with the St. Martin Parish Sheriff's Office responded to a reported drowning off Levee Road in Belle River. At the scene, authorities learned 43-year-old Darrow James Leonard was attempting to pull his boat out of the Belle River when it drifted back out.

As Leonard tried to retrieve the boat, authorities say he went underwater and never resurfaced. At approximately 4:15 p.m., deputies with the Assumption Parish Sheriff's Office Marine Patrol recovered his body.