The Kay County Sheriff’s Office (KSO) shared a post on Facebook in the afternoon on Wednesday, May 11, detailing an incident that occurred on Monday, May 9 wherein a questionable call on a body in the Arkansas River was turned into a rare training opportunity.

On Monday, the Kay County dispatchers received a call from KS Law Enforcement officials stating that KS had received a report of a body in the Arkansas River on the Kansas side headed downstream rapidly because of high water conditions. Kay County dispatchers notified KSO of the situation.

KSO was then notified that their assistance was needed, and deputies launched the KSO rescue boat from the Bear Creek boat ramp due to the highly dangerous wind and swift water conditions including south wind gusts of over 30 miles per hour on the water, and lake levels were at least 10 feet above normal.

Blackwell Fire Department launched their rescue boat from the Sweetwater fishing area, and Oklahoma Highway Patrol also launched their rescue boat from Coon Creek boat ramp, while Newkirk Fire Department set up an incident command post at the River Road Fire Department.

All three vessels were able to cover approximately 25 miles of shoreline up to, and back from Kansas. The vessels were nearly to Kansas when they received word that the person who reported the body may not have been a credible source. This was based on other questionable reports made by the individual earlier in the day.

KSO staff remained on the river and completed a full search pattern, turning a dangerous situation into a training opportunity that can rarely be duplicated with a planned training day, with the staff executing a search plan and rough water boat operation flawlessly.