Athens officer jumps in river; pulls man to safety
ATHENS, Ga. - A police officer in Athens jumped into a river to pull a man to safety this week.
Tuesday morning, officers with the Athens-Clarke County Police Department were called to the 100 block of East Broad Street to assist officers with the University of Georgia Police Department. The call was regarding a suspicious male.
Investigators said the male jumped in the Oconee River nearby and wouldn't come out. According to a UGA Police report, officers asked the man several times to swim to the edge and get out of the water. They had a difficult time understanding him and that's when the fire department and EMS were called to the scene.
The police report said the man made comments, such as "I'm going to swim forever" and "I'm not going to jail," as he floated downstream. He also yelled to police about a scientific theory and demons being after him, according to the report.
The man never appeared to be in any distress, but Senior Police Officer Clinton Dieball jumped in and swam to the man. He safely helped get the man out of the water.
The UGA Police Department said based on their interaction with the man, it was clear he was "experiencing a mental health crisis." The man was taken to a nearby hospital where police learned he was high on meth during the river incident, the police report stated.