Officers make arrest after retrieving disorderly man from lake
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POLSON – It wasn’t hot weather that sent a Polson Police Officer and a Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy out for a swim in Flathead Lake on Wednesday, Aug. 1.
Law enforcement responded to a complaint of an intoxicated and disorderly male at the KwaTaqNuk Resort and Casino on U.S. Hwy. 93 in town at 11:15 p.m. The man was identified as Torrey Morigeau.
Officers reported that Morigeau jumped into the lake and started to swim away after they arrived, so they radioed dispatch to have Lake County Search and Rescue come out with a boat. “Officers monitored Morigeau for signs of distress and tried to negotiate his return to the shore,” Sergeant George Simpson reported. “He refused to come to shore.”
Morigeau started to show signs of distress at about 50 yards from shore. Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy Brian Hines and Simpson removed their duty gear, put life vests on over their uniforms, and swam out to help the man.
The two officers brought Morigeau to shore, where he was arrested for being a public nuisance and resisting arrest. He was then booked into the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Detention Center.
Simpson said the teamwork demonstrated by the Polson Police Department, Lake County Sheriff’s Office, CSKT Tribal Police, Polson Ambulance, Lake County Search and Rescue, and Lake County 911 Communications all contributed to a peaceful resolution. “Our community should be proud of their public safety team,” Simpson said.
