June 29, 2018
T he C olumbia P ress
Marine officers seek drunken boaters
Law enforcement agen-
cies from 32 counties have
planned an operation this
weekend to combat drunk-
en boating.
The Marine Board and Or-
egon State Police also will
participate in “Operation
Dry Water” today through
Sunday, July 1.
It’s part of a national effort
to reduce the number of ac-
cidents and fatalities related
to boating under the influ-
ence of intoxicants.
“To help marine officers
prepare, we train them to
recognize drug and alco-
hol impairment and arrest
those operators – including
those with paddles,” says
Randy Henry, boating safe-
ty manager for the Marine
Board.
Boating under the influ-
ence means prescription
drugs, alcohol, inhalants,
marijuana or any other sub-
stance that impairs a per-
son’s ability to make sound
judgments and safely oper-
ate a boat.
The effects of drugs and
alcohol are amplified on the
water with the combination
of sun glare, wind, waves
and other environmental
stressors.
Alcohol also dehydrates
the body, putting people
at risk of drowning should
they suddenly be immersed
in cold water.
In Oregon, the conse-
quences of being convicted
of BUII include jail time,
$6,250 in fines and loss of
boating privileges.
5
Suicidal man rescued from surf at Sunset Beach
A man attempting to kill him-
self was rescued from the surf at
Sunset Beach on June 21.
The man, who was not named,
had tied a bag full of weights
around his body, the Clatsop
County Sheriff’s Office reported.
“Detective Walker and Dep-
uty Libertad eventually made
voice contact with the subject
and created enough of a rapport
to nearly talk the subject out of
the water,” Sheriff Tom Bergin
wrote in a media release.
“They were successful in re-
moving the bag full of weights
the subject had around his
body.”
The despondent subject resist-
ed, turned and walked back into
the surf, in an apparent attempt
to drown himself, according to
Bergin. A short time later, the
Coast Guard helicopter arrived
to assist.
“The Coast Guard pilots showed
incredible skill by hovering the
helo and using the helicopter
Courtesy Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office
A Coast Guard helicopter responds by air while three deputies
attempt to coax the man out of the surf.
rotor wash to dissuade the sub-
ject from going further into the
ocean,” Bergin wrote. “The air
crew then dropped a rescue
swimmer, who also kept the sub-
ject from walking farther out.”
Detective John Walker walked
out into the surf, putting him-
self at risk, to assist the rescue
swimmer in talking the man
into walking back to safety, Ber-
gin wrote.
The man surrendered when he
realized deputies weren’t going
to let him die.
Once the man was on the beach,
Deputy Jodi Libertad continued
de-escalation and eventually the
subject volunteered for a mental
evaluation, according to Bergin.
“I am extremely proud of their
selfless courage and commit-
ment to the safety of others no
matter who they are or what
issues they may have,” Bergin
wrote of his deputies.