A Tarboro teenager drowned Wednesday evening near Fishing Creek Road off N.C. 97, between Leggett and Lawrence.

Edgecombe County Sheriff James Knight said Jose Mentado Velasco, 19, of 79 Charlotte Ann Lane in Tarboro, drowned after he stepped in a seven-feet-deep hole while walking in Fishing Creek with two friends.

Knight said the friends tried to save Velasco.

Velasco's body was recovered by volunteer divers from the Pro Scuba Shop in Rocky Mount that the Sheriff's Office called in to assist in the search, Knight said. Divers Ronnie McLamb and Peter Anderson entered Fishing Creek shortly before 10 p.m. and recovered Velasco's body at 10:12 p.m., he said.

Knight added that this is the second time McLamb and Anderson volunteered with the Sheriff's Office in the recovery of drowning victims. Both are certified by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors to perform underwater criminal investigations.

Members of the Edgecombe County Rescue Squad and volunteers from the Leggett and Princeville Volunteer Fire departments also helped in the recovery efforts.