UPDATE: Crews have completed a SONAR sweep with no results. There are no immediate plans to explore the harbor any further and the Annapolis Police Department is investigating all leads.
Crews from the Anne Arundel County Dive Team, Annapolis Fire Department and the Annapolis Police Department are searching the waters near City Dock in Annapolis in hopes of finding Robert Stewart who disappeared early Friday morning.
Stewart, who works at Mills Fine Wine & Spirits failed to show up for work on Friday evening, December 6th. According to friends and acquaintances, Stewart was last seen near City Dock around 1am on Friday.
This morning, crews were dragging the harbor with sonar devices. Initially they passed along the shoreline by the Naval Academy seawall and in and out of the slips and docks including Ego Alley. From there, the rest of the mooring field will be dragged in a grid. According to a member of the dive team, if the sonar detects an object, they will investigate and ultimately send divers to visually determine what it is. It is expected that this search will take most of the day, unless something is discovered.
Detective Tom Pyles of the Annapolis Police Department told us that there was no specific information indicating that Stewart may be in the water, but that they are following up and exhausting all leads. He added that is is not unreasonable to search the waters when his last known location was in the area. Pyles said there has been no traces of Stewart since the disappearance. There have been no cell phone calls or texts, and no activity on any of the credit or debit cards of which the police are aware. Pyles indicated that it is possible that Stewart may have intentionally disappeared on his own and is unwilling to make contact. The Annapolis Police Department does not suspect any foul play in this case.
Robert Stewart is 36. Anyone with information is urged to contact Det. Tom Pyles at 410-268-9000 ext. 5765 or [email protected].
A search party has been organized by friends of Stewart. People are to meet tonight at 8pm at Mills Fine Wine & Spirits.
Eye On Annapolis will update this story as it develops.
