Click here to view La Crosse Area Weather
Home > News > Story
 Advertisement 

Published - Monday, June 23, 2008

POST COMMENT | READ COMMENTS (33 comment(s))

Two men rescued from river Sunday


.
Two men were pulled safely from the Mississippi River on Sunday in two separate incidents, both, police say, involving alcohol.

About 3 a.m., volunteers with Operation Riverwatch, a volunteer-run river patrol group, called police after seeing someone in the river near Riverside Park. Members of the La Crosse police and fire departments responded, pulling a 28-year-old man into their rescue boat near the north end of Houska Park, police said.
The man was uncooperative and began to fight with officers, police said, and a Taser was used to get him under control. After being brought to shore, the man was arrested for disorderly conduct and resisting an officer. He was taken to a local hospital to be evaluated before being taken to the La Crosse County Jail.

A second man attempted to swim across the river from Barron Island shortly after

5 p.m. While swimming under the Cameron Street bridge, the 30-year-old man began to struggle, police said, and he was picked up by a passing boater. The boater brought the man to the levee in Riverside Park, where police issued him a public intoxication warning.

“It was the dumbest thing I’ve ever done,” the man said as he was walking away from the levee with police.

With high water, there is added danger to swimming in the river, police say, and although there is not a specific law against swimming across the Mississippi, law enforcement officials says it’s highly discouraged.

Local news editor Scott Rada can be reached at (608) 791-8343 or srada@lacrossetribune.com.
.




 Advertisement 
 Tell us what you think...

 Comments »

wibowhunter wrote on Dec 31, 1969 6:00 PM:

" That explains it, geez how could I not see it. Thats why he was so beligerent with the police, because he was thrown in by someone trying to murder him. I know I'd be real uncooperative with people trying t "

Rickey wrote on Jun 24, 2008 6:06 AM:

" We need Hebert Hoover back with His Prohibition , We got a Hoover in the White House But Prohibition Would stop all of this "

Willie wrote on Jun 23, 2008 11:34 PM:

" God, it must be nice being perfect. Maybe if you were in the real world you would realize you aren't. I may be "in the box", but you need to get off yours. "

GOD_HIMSELF wrote on Jun 23, 2008 5:20 PM:

" onares...no, i don't think the moon is made of cheese. you must think that's a pretty funny statement as you've made it twice today. you know what i think is funny? you claim to "preach PERSONAL responsibility" but can't even spell it correctly. "

OnaRes wrote on Jun 23, 2008 3:45 PM:

" Homer..got it. was not certain which way your ealier comment was intended. It seems most/majority of people agree with us. But still those certain few are living in the world on serial killers and a moon made of cheese. I think they watch to much CSI and are tring to live out a desire to be real CSI through the death of the young men. Read god_himself comments, hell he has it solved all he needs is a badge and a gun and he would be making arrests left and right. "

homer wrote on Jun 23, 2008 3:36 PM:

" OnaRes: I am referencing your comment along the lines of, 'that's what i have been preaching.' I personally think these "gentlemen" may not be the smartest fish in the river, so to speak. And yes, OnaRes, they have only themselves to blame. "

mby wrote on Jun 23, 2008 3:22 PM:

" wibowhunter: good call, maybe it's one of the victims coming back from the dead to tell us something....spooky.

For those who will call me an idiot for saying this, I am joking. "

OnaRes wrote on Jun 23, 2008 3:20 PM:

" Homer.......?. Not sure what you are referencing. If you do not think it is personnal responsibility you should rethink your way of thinking. Until then have a great day. "

conscience? wrote on Jun 23, 2008 2:29 PM:

" Did anyone notice a post by wibowhunter a minute ago? It said "wrote on Dec 31, 1969". Strange. It was on top and now it's the first post. "

homer wrote on Jun 23, 2008 2:24 PM:

" same old same old. blah blah blah. aren't you people bored of the same old ranters, ravers, and in OnaRes' case, self-proclaimed 'preachers' saying the...same... thing...every...single...day...?

p.s. taser someone who was struggling for his life just moments ago? good call lcpd. "

GOD_HIMSELF wrote on Jun 23, 2008 2:16 PM:

" my my willie. can't we just disagree without you resorting to name calling? i guess i could call you an immature c#cks*cker, but how would that help anything. grow up willie and maybe someday you'll look outside the box. "

bearcat25 wrote on Jun 23, 2008 2:03 PM:

" Using a taser on someone who is soaked? lol....thats just asking for even more trouble... "

Willie wrote on Jun 23, 2008 1:58 PM:

" A pile of clothing could be a suicide victims way of leading you to his body. Besides as for a swim, who said he was "deathly afraid" of the water. His family? It has been my experience that you find out a lot of things about someone after they are gone that you didn't know before, even family. Could he have taken lessons and to overcome his fear? Could it be that he had enough alcohol on board to lower his inhibitions of the water? We will never know just how afraid deathly afraid was for him. I can assume just like anyone else with a God complex. You can assume there isn't a serial killer as much as you can assume it IS the work of a serial killer. I for one am not a conspiracy theorist nut job. "

GOD_HIMSELF wrote on Jun 23, 2008 1:42 PM:

" speaking of being thankfull, i guess i left a few out. along with young women, older women, older men, blonde haired men, and hispanic, asian, or black men. thank god none of those groups of people go near the water for a "swim" when they're drunk. it's just those darned college guys with dark hair, if we could just keep them away from the water things would be fine. "

GOD_HIMSELF wrote on Jun 23, 2008 1:37 PM:

" i would suggest clothes were piled up on shore because a guy was "messing" around with the woman that drugged, and slid him in the drink. if you were going to commit suicide would you take your clothes off first? also, a swim is not just a swim if you're deathly afraid of the water as one of the victims was. keep blaming it on alcohol though, it makes life easier. i guess we should just be thankfull young girls don't go near the water when they're drunk. right? "

Katie wrote on Jun 23, 2008 1:23 PM:

" But if they were dead people would be screaming "SERIAL KILLER!" When will people realize that alcohol is to blame? "

Willie wrote on Jun 23, 2008 1:17 PM:

" The clothes neatly piled by no means suggests a serial killer either. Why would a killer go to all that trouble? I would, er, I mean a killer would just push him in just like the rest. Suicide is just as plausible an explanation, or sometimes a swim is just a swim. "

Willie wrote on Jun 23, 2008 1:13 PM:

" Let's spell this out for you God_himself: "About 3 a.m., volunteers with Operation Riverwatch, a volunteer-run river patrol group, called police after seeing someone in the river near Riverside Park." I will "ditto" OnaRes's comment as well. "

GOD_HIMSELF wrote on Jun 23, 2008 1:12 PM:

" he could have fallen in at copeland park and floated down. he could have jumped in at pettibone and swam across. why weren't those parks mentioned? as i said, to help you people poo poo the serial killer theory. "

OnaRes wrote on Jun 23, 2008 11:54 AM:

" god_himself...........you don't think the cuurent could have possibly pushed him from riverside park to the north end of Houska park........hmmmmmmm.....river runs south, houska park is south, coincidence, I think not. I suppose you still believe the moon is made out of cheese also. "

GOD_HIMSELF wrote on Jun 23, 2008 11:47 AM:

" he was pulled out at houska park. not riverside. the article mentions riverside park so all of you can poo poo the serial killer. were his clothes taken off and piled neatly on shore before he went swimming? did he "fall" in at riverside. did some sweet girl drug him just before sending him in the drink so he wouldn't be able to swim? nope. these cases doesn't apply to the serial killer. different circumstances folks. "

OnaRes wrote on Jun 23, 2008 11:07 AM:

" I can see the headlines now. MAN SURVIVES MISSISSIPPI RIVER SERIAL KILLER, GIVE POLICE A DESCRIPTION. " I saw him all night long, everywhere I went he was there. He was about 10 inches tall, brown in color and everbody kept calling him bud. Not wearing much just a small piece of red and white paper with his name on. He has a partner with him, they looked identical except for what they were wearing, the partner had a blue and silver paper and his last name must have been miller."
Police say, be on the lookout for drunk people that do not know personnal responsibility. "

pumpkin wrote on Jun 23, 2008 10:26 AM:

" Good job Operation Riverwatch volunteers. If not for you, we could possibly have another river death. Nice job. "

Wheezer wrote on Jun 23, 2008 10:11 AM:

" RE: GOD_HIMSELF post= Maybe you should actually read the article. AT 3AM VOLUNTEERS WITH OPERATION RIVERWATCH CALLED POLICE AFTER SEEING SOMEONE IN THE RIVER NEAR RIVERSIDE PARK. Now, according to some, this would be the act of the "serial river killer'!! With that being said, we sure should have a good description now that we have a "survivor"!! "

Mack wrote on Jun 23, 2008 9:25 AM:

" The serial killer is alcohol. "

OnaRes wrote on Jun 23, 2008 9:18 AM:

" Well said....let it be said. I have been preaching personnal responsibility in these blogs. I too am tired of all the finger pointing going on around here. It is easier and less humiliating to blame someone else other then yourself. "

let it be said wrote on Jun 23, 2008 9:03 AM:

" Just a fine example of what alcohol makes people do, stupid things. Yeah, a hard stretch to think someone younger, less experienced, or less tolerant of the substance, might think they can swim or walk out onto a pitch black "parking lot" on their way home after they've had to much to drink.

Get real people, start educating your kids, tomorrows leaders, about the dangers of alcohol. Stop reaching out to BLAME OTHERS. It's getting old, wake up! TAKE RESPONSABILITY AND STOP BLAMING OTHERS FOR YOUR MISTAKES! Man I'm tired of all the finger pointing!!!! "

Willie wrote on Jun 23, 2008 8:11 AM:

" I just love how the serial killer theorists come out every time a drunken idiot decides to go for a swim and does drown. Drunk college kids swimming at bar time do apply though don't they? A 28 year-old at 3:00 AM does fit the theory, but you ignore it because he wasn't a college kid. The river pusher is now probably the biggest urban legend yet. "

GOD_HIMSELF wrote on Jun 23, 2008 6:37 AM:

" i love how the anti serial killers come out every time some idiot goes swimming and nearly drowns. i'm not sure a guy taking a swim at 5:oo in the AFTERNOON applies to the cases involving the serial killer. i suppose the twelve idiots that got rescued last week help disprove the theory too. "

Jaxx wrote on Jun 23, 2008 6:06 AM:

" Wait! I know why the Smiley Face Gang didn't actually kill these two men! They were too old. So, does that mean that the men pulled from the river could sue the Smiley Face Gang for age discrimination? (Sorry, sarcasm sounds pretty good for such stupid choices.) "

Wheezer wrote on Jun 23, 2008 5:29 AM:

" Oh boy, they sure should be able to get some good descriptions of the "serial river killer" now! It won't be long and the Smiley Face Gang will be behind bars! LOL! No commments from the serial killer theorists? All kidding aside, good job by the river watch volunteers. "

Sphinctuss wrote on Jun 23, 2008 2:54 AM:

" Uh, I may not be the brightest bulb in the bunch but isn't swimming in the Mississippi river during high water inviting oneself to leave the gene pool permenantly? "

Hillbilly wrote on Jun 23, 2008 12:46 AM:

" John Barleycorn . . . the Cereal Killer strikes again! "


PLEASE NOTE: Comments on stories that frequently update through the day disappear with each update.
The comments above are from readers. In no way do they represent the views of the La Crosse Tribune.

Click here to report offensive or inappropriate comments. Please identify the comment you're concerned about, the story to which the comment was attached, the date of the comment and the person who made the post.

 Post a comment (150 word limit) »

Log In - If you have already signed up with The LaCrosse Tribune, please sign in now!
Member ID:
*Password:
  Forgot Your Password?
 
Sign Up - To encourage intelligent and meaningful conversation, The LaCrosse Tribune requires all commenters to register before posting comments. It's quick, it's easy, and it's free! Just fill in the information below to get started!

**Your Member ID and password will be required to log in. Your comments will appear under your user name.

Do not use usernames or passwords from your financial accounts!

Note: Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required!

Create a Member ID:
*Choose a password:
*Re-enter password:
E-mail Address:
Year of Birth:
 

(children under 13 cannot register)

First Name:
Last Name:
Company:
Home Phone:
Business Phone:
Address:
City:
State:
Zip Code:
 

NEWSPAPER ADS

LACROSSE JOBS

TOP HOMES

HomeSeller
Top Homes



 
 
Dailies
La Crosse Tribune
Winona Daily News

Weeklies
Coulee News
Courier Life News
The Chronicle
Houston County News
Tomah Journal
Vernon Broadcaster
Westby Times

Regional
Inside Preps
My LIVE! Entertainment
Best of River Valley
Business Report
Healthy Living Today
Strictly Golf
River Valley Bike Trails
River Valley Blogs
River Valley Outdoors

Shoppers
Tri-County Foxxy

Marketplace
Newspaper Ads
Local Website Directory
7 Rivers Rentals
HomeSeller
Wheels Website
Outdoor Motors
Work For You

Portals
La Crosse NET
Winona NET

Classifieds
River Valley Classifieds

Links
Lee Enterprises

About Us | Classifieds | Contact Us | Terms of Use | F.A.Q. | Privacy Policy | Requests | Search | RSS | Videos | Advertiser Directory | Add to My Yahoo!
Copyright © 1997 - 2008 The La Crosse Tribune. All rights reserved.
Material from this site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed. A Lee Enterprises subsidiary.