Missing Alabama football coach found in the gulf

Richard Everett
·1 min read

WALTON COUNTY, Fla (WDHN) — A high school coach from Sylacauga, Alabama, who was reported missing in the gulf early Thursday afternoon has been found.

A Walton County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson says Chris Smelley was spotted safe off the coast at around 6:00 p.m. Thursday by a U.S. Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk Helicopter. Coast Guard officials say Smelley had no injuries when he was found.

(WKRG)
(WKRG)

Smelley is the head football coach at Sylacauga High School in Sylacauga, Alabama.

Authorities said Smelley left Grayton Beach at 8:30 a.m. for a fishing trip in his black and blue kayak. A search for Smelley began that afternoon after the WCSO and South Walton Fire and Rescue could not contact him.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the U.S. Coast Guard later joined the search.

Courtesy of the Walton County Sheriff’s Office
Courtesy of the Walton County Sheriff’s Office

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