Lake County Sheriff’s Canine Ryker and sheriff’s deputies located a woman who was hypothermic after falling into a lake near Antioch and being unable to get out for nearly two hours.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded around 10:15 a.m. Thursday to the area of Route 173 and Venn Road in unincorporated Antioch for a domestic dispute.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said a 30-year-old Racine, Wisconsin woman called 911 to report she was being followed on foot by an ex-boyfriend.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived in the area but were unable to find her.
Dispatchers repeatedly attempted to call the woman back but she did not answer her phone, Covelli said.
Sheriff’s Deputy Craig Somerville and his canine partner, Ryker, responded to the scene. Ryker was deployed to conduct a track to search for her.
Ryker tracked for approximately a mile to a channel near Lake Marie. As Ryker and sheriff’s deputies got closer to the channel, they could hear a woman calling for help.
Covelli said that Ryker and the sheriff’s deputies waded through heavy marsh conditions and saw the woman near a duck blind approximately 75 yards from the shore in a channel of Lake Marie.
The woman was hypothermic due to being soaking wet in the water for approximately 1-2 hours, Covelli said.
Sheriff’s deputies requested the assistance of the Antioch Fire Department around 12:20 p.m. due to the watery and marshy conditions.
Firefighters arrived and utilized drysuits to wade to the woman and rescue her.
She was transported by ambulance to St. Catherine’s Hospital in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, and is expected to recover.
Sheriff’s deputies determined the argument between the woman and her ex-boyfriend was regarding personal property that she allegedly took from him, Covelli said.
“It is likely the woman fell into the water during the incident and was unable to free herself due to the conditions. There are no indications she was pushed or forced into the water,” Covelli said.
“Our deputies and our canines are truly second to none. This is another life-saving example of how our staff works diligently to protect the community. I am excited we are adding two additional canine teams to our Canine Unit, to make a total of seven sheriff’s canine teams,” Sheriff John Idleburg said.