Man who went diving for golf balls missing in Hernando

BROOKSVILLE — A diver hired to retrieve golf balls from a lake has gone missing, the Hernando County Sheriff's Office reported Monday night.

David Voiles, 43, a certified diver who is active with the Army National Guard, arrived Monday morning at Sherman Hills Golf Course, 31200 Eagle Falls Drive in Brooksville, to retrieve balls from the bottom of a lake, sheriff's spokeswoman Wendy McGinnis said.

He made a phone call at 3 p.m., but no one, including his family, heard from him after that. Someone from the golf course called deputies just before 7 p.m., saying Voiles appeared to be missing.

Voiles' vehicle was still in the parking lot Monday night, and the golf cart he had been using was still next to the lake, McGinnis said. Divers from the Pasco County Sheriff's Office were called to help with the search.

Voiles, who has been a certified diver since 1987, has been doing this type of work for two years, McGinnis said.