RCMP were called to the Dodd Lake area of Innisfail this week following a report of a suspicious male going through the back yards of residences.
Mounties say the man “saw one of the owners of a residence and incorrectly believed him to be a plain clothes police officer.”
Believing that he was going to be arrested, he immediately jumped into the lake.
Innisfail RCMP arrived and tried to get him to swim to shore. Police point out that the man “yelled back that he had warrants and would rather drown that go back to jail.”
Assistance was requested from Innisfail Fire/Rescue and EMS. A rescue boat was deployed but the male refused to get into it due to his outstanding warrants, according to police.
RCMP note “eventually the male was complaining about leg cramps and feeling dizzy from ingesting too much lake water and he eventually conceded and was willing to go into the rescue boat.”
After he was taken to shore for medical examination by EMS, police found the man had no outstanding warrants. However, he was on a 24 hour ordered curfew and was arrested.
A 25-year-old male resident of Innisfail faces a charge of failing to comply with a release order, has been released from custody and is set to appear in court in Red Deer on September 11th.