RCMP save drowning Central Alberta man who jumped into lake to avoid arrest

INNISFAIL – Local Mounties and emergency responders have saved the day for a drowning man who did not want to be saved.

RCMP Cpl. Troy Savinkoff said in a media release that during the evening of Thursday, Aug. 15 Innisfail RCMP were called to the Dodd’s Lake area of Innisfail where a suspicious male was going through residents’ backyards.

“The male saw one of the owners of a residence and incorrectly believed him to be a plainclothes police officer,” said Savinkoff. “The male immediately jumped into the lake as he believed he was going to be arrested.”

Savinkoff said when RCMP arrived at Dodd’s Lake they observed the male “bobbing up and down” in the middle of the lake.

Attending RCMP members attempted to get the male’s attention and have him swim to shore but he yelled back that he had warrants and would rather drown than go back to jail, said Savinkoff, adding at this point the man had already been in the water for about 30 minutes.

He said RCMP called for assistance from Innisfail Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services (EMS).

Savinkoff said local fire department crews then deployed a rescue boat with RCMP in an attempt to rescue the male from the water.

“When he was located the male refused to get into the boat due to his outstanding warrants,” said Savinkoff. “Eventually the male was complaining about leg cramps and feeling dizzy from ingesting too much lake water and he eventually conceded and was willing to go into the rescue boat.”

Savinkoff said the man was then taken to shore for a medical examination by EMS.

It was then determined the man was found to have no outstanding warrants.

“When advised of this, the man was angry as he had ‘done all that for nothing',” said Savinkoff.

He was, however, on a 24-hour court ordered curfew and was arrested.

Savinkoff said a 25-year-old male resident from Innisfail has been charged with failing to comply with a release order.

He said the man has been released from custody and is scheduled to appear at the Alberta Court of Justice in Red Deer on Sept. 11.

Savinkoff said due to privacy act concerns the RCMP is unable to release the alleged offender’s name