William “Bill” R. North fell into the water during a sailboat race Sunday afternoon.
ST. CLAIR COUNTY, Ala. — Authorities recovered the body of William “Bill” R. North on Monday after the longtime Bessemer prosecutor fell into Logan Martin Lake during a sailboat race near Pell City, state officials said.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said North, 64, of Bessemer, had been serving as a spotter for a Pell City Sail Club race when he tried to move from a sailboat to an unoccupied jon boat. Officials said he fell into the water Sunday afternoon and did not resurface. His death drew a large search response from state and local agencies and immediate grief from Jefferson County’s legal community.
The incident happened about 3 p.m. Sunday on the southern portion of Logan Martin Lake near the Pell City Sail Club. Search crews worked into the evening and resumed Monday morning. ALEA said North’s body was recovered at about 11:12 a.m. Monday near the same area where he entered the water. Jefferson County Bessemer Division District Attorney Lynneice O. Washington said her office was devastated by the loss of a prosecutor she called “an exceptional prosecutor, a dedicated public servant, and a deeply cherished member of our legal family.”
ALEA said the search included its Aviation Unit and Marine Patrol, along with Pell City police, Pell City fire crews, the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office, the Lincoln Special Operations Unit, New London Fire Department, Childersburg Rescue Squad and Munford Rescue Squad. Other reports also named the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and Alexander City Rescue Squad among agencies that assisted. Officials did not release more details on the conditions on the lake, whether North was wearing a life jacket, or whether any mechanical problem played a role. The death was reported as a water incident, and no criminal charge was announced.
North was an assistant district attorney in Jefferson County’s Bessemer Cutoff and had worked for years in the Bessemer division. The district attorney’s office said he was an Auburn University graduate and the longest-serving career prosecutor in that office. He also supervised cases in Jefferson County Circuit Judge David Carpenter’s courtroom. Carpenter said North spent his career representing the people of Alabama and had been the lead prosecutor in his courtroom for 12 years.
Carpenter said North was known as a lawyer of integrity who worked with crime victims and supported treatment programs for some offenders when appropriate. He also said North mentored young lawyers, guided interns in the district attorney’s office and lectured in criminal justice courses at the University of Alabama. Washington said North had protected victims and served the community “with integrity, compassion and brilliance.” She said she had known him since 2001.
Authorities had not announced a final investigative report by Tuesday. ALEA’s account placed the recovery near the same location where North went into the water, ending a search that had stretched from Sunday afternoon into Monday morning. The next public step is expected to come from state investigators or the district attorney’s office if additional findings are released.
Author note: Last updated June 30, 2026.