ALLENDALE TWP., MI (WHTC-AM/FM, Jan. 17, 2024) – Water rescue is not strictly a warm-weather operation, as members of the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Dive Team and other first responders found out on Wednesday morning.
According to Ottawa County Sheriff’s Sergeant Matt Wildfong, crews from six departments were dispatched to Eastmanville Bayou, off of the Grand River near the 68th Avenue bridge, around 11:15 AM on a report of fishing equipment on the ice with nobody in the vicinity and a large hole in the ice. Witnesses said that they saw a man walking on the ice and then falling through. They then noticed the man get out of the water, walk back to the parking lot, entered a black truck and drove off. Using a drone and robotic equipment, crews determined that there was nobody in the water. The man seen walking from the scene wasn’t immediately located.
Wildfong used the incident to remind the public that, despite the below freezing temperatures since this past Saturday in the region, most ice in the area is not yet safe for walking on. A minimum thickness of four inches is recommended for walking.
Anyone with any further information on this incident is asked to contact the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Department (888-738-4000).
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