Photographer: John McDonald

Kelowna Fire Department rescues exhausted cops from Okanagan Lake

KELOWNA – A lake rescue took a dangerous turn last night when the drunken victim turned on a couple of Kelowna RCMP officers trying to save her.

Exhausted by the struggle, the two cops had to hang onto a bouy in Okanagan Lake until rescued by the Fire Department’s marine unit.

Police were called out around 10 p.m., July 19, about an intoxicated 19-year-old who had jumped into the lake, RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Joe Duncan says in a media release.

When the two officers tried to corral the woman and bring her back to shore, she fought back and managed to get back to land on her own, he says.

The woman was arrested and the two officers were transported to Kelowna General Hospital for treatment and then released.

No charges have been laid, but are being considered.

Police did not disclose where the incident took place.

To contact the reporter for this story, email John McDonald at jmcdonald@infonews.ca or call 250-808-0143. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

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6 responses

  1. Jonathan Chubb

    Seems like the cops didn’t need to be called in the first place.. “Police were called out around 10 p.m., July 19, about an intoxicated 19-year-old who had jumped into the lake, RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Joe Duncan says in a media release.”Sounds like an average day in the okanagan!

  2. Andrea Condon

    she is 19. We have all done stupid things at 19. Glad this story had a good outcome it could have been so very different, I really hope the young lady understands the danger she put those two officers in, as well as herself!

  3. Cindy Lyn Kodiak Cantin

    Of course she should be charged she endangered there lives. If they would of waited for marine unit to go in for her and something happened everyone would be pointing a finger at the police for not doing anything

  4. Marion Thiel

    Jail her ass for her stupidity!

  5. Arne Gregersen

    I gus she dit not need ther help.

  6. LindaJim Jones

    Senselessly putting two officer’s lives at risk!

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John McDonald

John began life as a journalist through the Other Press, the independent student newspaper for Douglas College in New Westminster. The fluid nature of student journalism meant he was soon running the place, learning on the fly how to publish a newspaper.

It wasn’t until he moved to Kelowna he broke into the mainstream media, working for Okanagan Sunday, then the Kelowna Daily Courier and Okanagan Saturday doing news graphics and page layout. He carried on with the Kelowna Capital News, covering health and education while also working on special projects, including the design and launch of a mass market daily newspaper. After 12 years there, John rejoined the Kelowna Daily Courier as editor of the Westside Weekly, directing news coverage as the Westside became West Kelowna.

But digital media beckoned and John joined Kelowna.com as assistant editor and reporter, riding the start-up as it at first soared then went down in flames. Now John is turning dirt as city hall reporter for iNFOnews.ca where he brings his long experience to bear on the civic issues of the day.

If you have a story you think people should know about, email John at jmcdonald@infonews.ca

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