Indiana Conservation Officers and the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department likely saved a Pekin man’s life today.
An intoxicated man, who had passed out in a raft with a bottle of rum in his lap, somehow floated over 7 miles down the flooded Blue River.
Morris Ferguson, 54, 8746 East Blankenbaker Road, Pekin was arrested and booked into the Crawford County Jail this afternoon on a charge of public intoxication.
After receiving multiple calls, ICOs Neal Brewington and Jim Schreck responded and were unable to reach him with throw bags or awaken him despite shouting and blowing a whistle from the bank.
ICOs Dennis Talley and Logan Hodges launched a boat while Brewington and Schreck set up a tag line across the river in hopes of preventing the man from going over the boiling Milltown Dam.
Fortunately, a Crawford County Deputy spotted the man who washed ashore a couple of miles above the dam, and was able to reach him.
After a medical evaluation, ICO Hodges arrested the man without incident.
Multiple fire departments and EMS personnel assisted.
