Ryan Daniel Snodgrass, 28, would be a hero in most people’s book. However, the guide with Arkansas Valley Adventures was arrested by the Clear Creek sheriff’s office after he swam to a stranded 13-year-old rafter who fell off her boat in Colorado. Officers ordered no one to help the young rafter until a county rescue team was ready. Sheriff Don Krueger (left) is reportedly considering additional charges against another guide.
One can certainly understand the frustration of police who do not want more people to become endangered in a rescue. Yet, an arrest seems a bit severe and the guide had a good reason to make contact. Snodgrass was charged with “obstructing government operations” by swimming over to the rafter.
The police department is considering charging another guide with the same offense.
Duke Bradford, owner of Arkansas Valley Adventures, stands by his staff and says that they should not have waited for the county team to make contact: “When you have someone in sight who has taken a long swim, you need to make contact immediately.”
The girl had been missing for 30 to 45 minutes and had just finished swimming a half mile from the spot where the raft capsized.
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I am a retired underwater search And recovery officer, I am also an EMT and A DMT (Diver Med Tech), In addition I am a hyperbaric technician and a former Boy Scouts Of America Troop Leader and a mother. CONGRADUATIONS ON AN EXCELLENT RESCUE JOB, WELL DONE! There is absolutly no time for hesitaion in an advanced medical rescue and the moment you deem yourself capable of attempting a rescue you should most definitly with the utmost care and with any qualified attentive assistance to suppot you, you should most definitly attempt a live resuce rather then perform a recovey of the said indangered person or persons. As for your backup, they obviosly were not and do not seem to be qualified to be an active member of ANY public service team. Needless to say they need not bother to make application in my neck of the woods, I can assure you with out delay that teh qualified answer is simply take a long hike of a short pier.