An unidentified woman was rescued from the Missouri River near Council Bluffs this morning. Council Bluffs Police Sgt. Patrick Norris says Officer Chad Selander found the woman near a boat dock at Lake Manawa, along the river, around 8:15 a.m.
“As he approached her, she then jumped into the river and swam to about the center of the river and then started floating down,” Norris said. Selander called for rescue boats.
“The whole time, (Selander) kept a visual on her and talked to her while running through the shrubs and the trees. It was pretty taxing,” Norris said. Selander ran about three miles along the riverbank as the water carried the woman downstream.
He was then able to direct the rescue boats to her location. “It is almost like a needle in a haystack. He did a great job,” Norris said of the officer. “He did a bit more investigating than maybe some would do. She jumped in and luckily he kept a good eye on her and could keep up with her.”
Norris said the woman was “combative” when she was pulled from the water. She was then taken to a hospital for an evaluation. Norris said he believes Officer Selander’s actions saved the woman’s life.
By Karla James