(HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, ON) – At approximately 2:08 am on Thursday October 17, 2013 Northumberland Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) were dispatched to a missing persons report from a residence on Rice Lake Scenic Drive in Gores Landing, Ontario.
Officers received information that an elderly male with Alzheimer’s had wandered away from his residence. The man and his wife had retired to bed at about 10:00 pm when the wife awoke at 2:00 am and found her husband missing and contacted police.
Officers checked the surrounding property and roadways, while a third officer, Provincial Constable Phil CLARKE attended to the local Government dock area at the end of County Road 18 where he located the elderly male, floundering and struggling in the cold dark open waters.
Constable CLARKE quickly secured his police equipment, retrieved the rear seat of the police cruiser to act as a floatation device and dove into the water out to the male where he had managed to swim a good distance from shore. The man was able to latch onto the floatation device and with the assistance of Constable CLARKE was brought to shore. The man immediately lost consciousness almost immediately after being rescued. He was then transferred to hospital by ambulance for treatment and further medical care.
Good work to Constable CLARKE for his quick thinking, sound judgement and physical act of swimming in 5 degree waters of Rice Lake.