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Raft guide arrested after saving girl.
Denver Post ^ | June 13, 2010 | Jason Blevins

Posted on 06/14/2010 6:33:54 AM PDT by bjorn14

Clear Creek sheriff's deputies on Thursday arrested a rafting guide for swimming to a stranded young rafter who had tumbled from his boat on Clear Creek.

Ryan Daniel Snodgrass, a 28-year-old guide with Arkansas Valley Adventures rafting company, was charged with "obstructing government operations," said Clear Creek Sheriff Don Krueger.

"He was told not to go in the water, and he jumped in and swam over to the victim and jeopardized the rescue operation," said Krueger, noting that his office was deciding whether to file similar charges against another guide who was at the scene just downstream of Kermitts Roadhouse on U.S. 6.

Duke Bradford, owner of Arkansas Valley Adventures, said Snodgrass did the right thing by contacting the 13-year-old Texas girl immediately and not waiting for the county's search and rescue team to assemble ropes, rafts and rescuers.

"When you have someone in sight who has taken a long swim, you need to make contact immediately," said Bradford, a 15-year rafting guide and ski patroller from Summit County. "This is just silly. Ryan Snodgrass acted entirely appropriately. These guys came to the scene late and there was a rescue in progress. They came in and took over an existing rescue. To leave a patient on the side of a river while you get your gear out of the car and set up a rescue system you read about in a book is simply not good policy."

Snodgrass' raft flipped on the runoff-swelled Clear Creek around noon Thursday and the girl swam from the raft. Krueger said the girl was missing for 30 to 45 minutes while Snodgrass searched for her. He said she swam a half mile from the spot where the raft capsized.

Since it had been so long, Krueger said, it was no longer the rafting company's rescue.

"They should involve themselves up to a point. They lost contact. Whether they want to say they were trying to rescue their customer, when they had lost visual contact and had no idea where their customer has been for 30 to 45 minutes, then it becomes our issue."

Bradford said he would expect his guides to do the same thing again. His guides are professionals, he said, trained and certified in swiftwater rescue.

"To jump into water and navigate a river in a swiftwater rescue is common. You get into the river and swim. You have to do it," Branford said. "The fact these guys don't understand that is disturbing. Making contact immediately with your victim is essential. It's not about who is in charge. It's about the safety of a 13-year-old girl. You are going to do everything in your power to insure the safety of your guest, and if that means in Idaho Springs you get arrested, well I guess we'll just get arrested."


TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events; US: Arkansas
KEYWORDS: colorado; donutwatch; lping; outdoors; police; rescue; unions
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To: hometoroost
"Is the greed, stupidity, laziness, and ineffectiveness of government employees and elected officials a symptom of our general decline or are they leading the charge?"

Yes.

141 posted on 06/16/2010 11:16:38 AM PDT by ronnyquest (There's a communist living in the White House! Now, what are you going to do about it?)
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To: chuck_the_tv_out

government operations involved making sure the girl dies, so yes that raft guide was obstructing


142 posted on 06/19/2010 1:27:55 AM PDT by 4rcane
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To: stinkerpot65

Notice in that story, they didn’t mention the POS jack-booted thugcop’s name. Gee, wonder why not?


143 posted on 06/19/2010 1:52:33 AM PDT by piytar (Obama keeps going to golf courses instead of the Gulf. Maybe he's too stupid to know the difference?)
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To: bjorn14

Anyone wanting to express their displeasure at this utter stupidy, what better place than this idiot thugcop sherrif’s place of business? http://www.clearcreeksheriff.us/contact-ccso.htm Remember, be polite, or you’re likely to get a visit from a fellow thugcop.


144 posted on 06/19/2010 1:53:58 AM PDT by piytar (Obama keeps going to golf courses instead of the Gulf. Maybe he's too stupid to know the difference?)
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To: bjorn14

Any bets the sheriff is one of the liberals who descended on Colorado in the past two to three decades?


145 posted on 06/19/2010 2:44:06 AM PDT by SLB (23rd Artillery Group, Republic of South Vietnam, Aug 1970 - Aug 1971.)
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To: Genoa

LEO’s are not God, even though most seem to think so. No MAN, sits and watches a child die!


146 posted on 06/19/2010 2:58:11 AM PDT by packrat35 (Planned Parenthood - Keeping healthcare costs down, one fetus at a time)
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To: SoftwareEngineer
If that was my daughter, I would sue the Sherrifs dept for obstruction

I'd sue them for stupidity then back their opponent in the next election. Stupidity like this does not belong in a Sheriff's office, that's for sure.

147 posted on 06/19/2010 3:04:09 AM PDT by usconservative (When The Ballot Box No Longer Counts, The Ammunition Box Does. (What's In Your Ammo Box?))
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To: bjorn14

“He was told not to...”

“They should involve themselves up to a point. They lost contact. Whether they want to say they were trying to rescue their customer, when they had lost visual contact and had no idea where their customer has been for 30 to 45 minutes, then it becomes our issue.”

This is stupid and non sensical.

Any of you who think these jackboot a$$hole$, today, regard you as anything more than sheep or cattle is living in an alternate reality.


148 posted on 06/19/2010 5:47:26 AM PDT by TalBlack
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To: Genoa

“What if the guide had jumped in and ended up in trouble himself? Then there would have been two people in need of rescue.”

What if the cops jumed in and ended up in trouble then there’d be 3 or 4 people who need rescue. What if grandma had balls (then she’d be Grandpa).


149 posted on 06/19/2010 5:53:25 AM PDT by TalBlack
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