Kosciusko County – Sunday evening an Indiana State Trooper from the Bremen Post and a deputy from the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department pulled a man from Crystal Lake after he refused to listen to police and jumped into the water.
Shortly after 7:00 p.m. officers with the state police and the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department responded to 7589 W. Snyder Rd. in Warsaw. The residence is located on Crystal Lake. Arriving officers found a naked man standing on a pier that was arguing incoherently with a deputy that was already on scene.
Trooper Tim Carpenter and Deputy Mike Fowler removed their gun belts and most of their uniform in the event the man jumped into the lake. As officers continued to talk with the subject it became apparent that the man was not making any sense and appeared mentally unstable. Carpenter and Fowler feared the man would jump into the lake, as it was becoming dark, and any rescue attempt would become more dangerous.
Carpenter and Fowler continued to talk with the man as they approached him on the pier. As the officers neared the end of the pier the man jumped into the lake and swam away from the pier. Officers talked to the subject for a short time before the man turned and swam further away. Both Carpenter and Fowler jumped into the lake and swam towards the man. Once the officers reached the man his attention was diverted by Deputy Fowler giving Trooper Carpenter time to grab hold of the man from behind. Carpenter was able to control the subject and with the help of Fowler and deputy’s on the shore everyone was pulled in safely with a rescue rope.
Both Carpenter and Fowler sustained minor cuts and abrasions during the incident. The man was taken to Kosciusko Community Hospital for evaluation.
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SMITH
