A local man is safe after being rescued by several Dickinson Police Department officers during a near-drowning event at the Dickinson Dike late yesterday afternoon.Around 3:20 P.M., dispatch received a 911 call reporting a male in his mid-20s who had fallen out of a kayak while paddling on the dike and was in the process of drowning. Family members of the man had attempted to reach him, but he was roughly 50 yards from shore in frigid water and could not be reached.
Dickinson Police Officer Alex Schroeder was first to arrive on scene and prepared to enter the water. He was joined by Officer Aaron Bates and began to swim a life jacket out to the man, who was continuing to have difficulty remaining above water and submerged numerous times. The officers reached the man and began swimming him to shore. Corporal Jayden Peters also entered the water to assist the group to shore.
Water temperature at the time was estimated to be about 50 degrees and a depth of 15-20 feet.
Dickinson Ambulance transported the male to St. Alexius Hospital for treatment. All three officers were examined and treated at the scene by a second Dickinson Ambulance crew and released.
Officer Schroeder has been with the department for just over a year. Officer Bates is an Air Force veteran with just over 3 years of service with the department. Corporal Peters is a K-9 handler with over ten years of experience. He was also awarded a Distinguished Service ribbon last year for voluntarily entering a burning storage unit in search of victims during a potential hostage situation.
Our department is thankful for the safe rescue of the local man, and wish him a speedy recovery. We are also thankful for the bravery and selfless service displayed by our officers in this situation. Their actions went well above-and-beyond the call of duty, and we are fortunate to have them on our team.