A 38-year-old Pacific man who became trapped on the bluffs at Rockford Beach early in the morning on Thursday, July 20, was rescued and then detained by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office for trespassing, authorities said.
The lack of visibility made the dangerous water rescue more treacherous, High Ridge Fire Chief John Barton said.
According to the Jefferson County Parks and Recreation website, the Big River is a swift-moving stream and is not recommended for swimming or wading. Signs are posted at Rockford Beach warning people against swimming there.
“It’s a risky scenario at any time, but especially doing it in the middle of the night when it’s pitch-black outside,” he said.
High Ridge Fire was dispatched at 12:29 a.m. to Rockford Beach for a man stranded on a rock shelf, Barton said. Two rescue boats were deployed by 12:54 a.m. and the man was rescued by 1:03 a.m.
Grant Bissell, the public safety information coordinator for the Sheriff’s Office, said the man refused to leave the premises once the water rescue team brought the man back to the beach.
“He was irrational and couldn’t be reasoned with when he was told to leave the park,” Bissell said.
Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested him for trespassing and then released him pending formal charges.
Bissell said the man’s name cannot be released until formal charges are filed.
Rockford Beach is open from dawn to dusk daily.
Barton said the man was marooned on a rock shelf at the base of the bluff across the Big River from Rockford Beach.
“Our belief is that he swam across and somehow he wound up on that rock shelf, right where the water goes over the rocks at the rapids,” Barton said. “He decided that he was not going to be able to get back in the water and swim back across.”
Barton said the man was by himself and shouted for help. Someone else using the park heard his shouts and called 911. When first responders arrived on the scene, they determined a police officer should help in the rescue to ensure everyone remained safe, Barton said.
He said it is unusual for someone to be out on the bluffs, alone, in the middle of the night.
“There were definitely some red flags for us that we wanted to make sure that once we got over there, got the individual in the boat and if he decides he doesn’t want to go -- people can be unpredictable sometimes,” Barton said. “Thankfully, Byrnes Mill (Police Department) was able to provide an officer just in case he was combative with rescuers.
“We want to eliminate any unknowns if we can.”
Byrnes Mill Police Department Patrolman Brandon Bumbales assisted at the scene, according to Police Chief Frank T. Selvaggio. While Jefferson County maintains the park, the bluffs are inside the Byrnes Mill city limits.
“High Ridge Fire gave (Bumbales) a lifejacket, and he went over there with them to help get (the man) in the boat,” Selvaggio said.
“You wonder why someone is playing around at that time of the morning,” Selvaggio said. “If the river is unsafe enough in the daytime when you can see what you’re doing, the nighttime obviously adds a safety concern to it.”
“Thankfully, there was somebody in the area that heard the person screaming for help. If he would have been out there all night, there may have been a different conclusion to it.”
High Ridge Fire used two water rescue boats, one that is inflatable, and another called a rigid rescue boat, Barton said. Firefighters used light towers on the fire trucks to illuminate the park and flashlights to navigate the rapids.
“We had some visibility, but it is much riskier than during the daytime,” Barton said. “It’s harder to see debris in the water that could impact the boat. It’s more difficult in general to do the operation at night.”
He said firefighters are trained in water rescues because, on average, High Ridge Fire has four to five water rescues at the park every year.
“Ironically, we had just gone through training scenarios for this situation the previous weekend,” Barton said. “Almost all of our people have swift-water technician certifications. We do train quite a bit on various scenarios and on what is the best and safest way to get somebody out of different locations along the rapids.”
“The river is constantly changing and is an unpredictable body of water. We’ve gotten a lot of rain recently and the water is starting to come up; the currents are getting stronger again,” Barton said. “It’s not safe to swim in most areas of that river.”
Eureka Fire Protection District and Big River Ambulance District also responded to the scene.
County officials currently are deciding the future of the park.
Rockford Beach has been closed for the past two weekends due to overcrowding but officials plan to keep it open for future weekends with an increased presence Sheriff’s Office presence.
“Since Memorial Day weekend, Sheriff’s deputies have responded to the park for various issues, including fights and physical disturbances, stealing, unlawful use of a weapon, assaults, underage drinking, and drowning,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a written statement. “With recent large crowds, law enforcement, EMS, and fire agencies have been unable to adequately provide security and support.”
Bissell said a deputy will be posted at the entrance of the park from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. during weekends to limit the traffic inside the park. Deputies can sign up for the overtime assignment, which the county and the Sherriff’s Office will pay for.