Deboer safe after night on the river
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| Rescue personnel carry Greg Deboer, who spent a chilly night on the Kootenai River after becoming separated from his boat April 8, to safety. |
On Friday, April 8, 2011, at approximately 8:10 p.m., the Boundary County Sheriff’s Office received a call regarding a vehicle that had been parked for several hours at the Deep Creek boat launch with no sign of the owner. The caller stated she saw a person in a small boat paddling towards the ramp at approximately 7:25 p.m., but then just stopped paddling and started drifting downstream, apparently overcome by the current.
The owner of the vehicle was identified as Greg Deboer. A deputy spoke with a friend of Deboer who said she received a text message from him at approximately 7:25 p.m., saying he needed help. Repeated returned texts messages for more info were not answered.
Sheriff’s Dispatch contacted Deboer’s wireless provider and determined that the last signal from Deboer’s phone was at 9:18 p.m., approximately 10.46 miles northwest of Black Mountain. A search of the river was conducted throughout the night. At daylight, additional resources were committed, including air and ground crews.
At 6:35 a.m., searchers on kayaks located Greg Deboer on the west bank of the river about 6.3 miles downstream from the Deep Creek launch.
He was cold but conscience and awake. He said that he had become separated from his boat and swam to shore. He had pulled himself away from the water’s edge and was not easily visible from the river.
Boundary Ambulance was dispatched to the scene and the patient was transported to Boundary Community Hospital.
Sheriff’s Posse aircraft located Deboer’s boat further downstream, near Ball Creek.