Deputies of the Maries County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call from a boater stuck on the Gasconade River Sept. 9. 

The call occurred after a boater accidentally drove onto a shallow section of the river and grounded his boat. The three occupants included an elderly couple and a gentleman in a wheelchair. They were unable to free their vessel and called for assistance. 

Deputies responded to the area to locate the gravel bar they were stranded on. Chief Deputy Scott John and Detective Dale Harp operated a Utility Terrain Vehicle (UTV) to navigate the riverbank, creating their own path most of the way, and located the stranded boaters. 

Belle Fire was unavailable during the incident and mutual aid was requested from Owensville Fire and the Osage County Sheriff’s Office. Once the location was provided, Owensville Fire was able to locate them quickly and assist with freeing the vessel. 

None of the occupants required medical assistance and everyone returned home safely, our primary objective on every incident. 

The Maries County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank  Osage County Ambulance District, Owensville Fire Department, and the Osage County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance.

On a related topic, the Maries County Sheriff’s Office and Vienna Fire Department have been working together to accumulate the equipment and training for a water rescue team. Their goal is to have this team ready to respond to any waterway incident in 2022.