A tragic end to an illegal act resulted in the direct drowning of a 16-year-old girl and the indirect death of an Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Parks and Watercraft officer.
On the early evening of February 23rd the girl and her 13-year-old brother ventured out onto what’s being described as “thin ice” near the boat docks of Rocky Fork State Park in Highland County.
Contained within the 3,464-acre state park is 2,080-acre Rocky Fork Lake, a popular bass, crappie, and muskie fishing lake in southwest Ohio near Hillsboro and which was added to the state park system in 1950.
The two youths fell through the ice into water about 10 feet deep with the girl struggling to save her younger brother.
However, the girl slipped beneath the ice into the frigid water, estimated to be only about 36 degrees.
Ohio Natural Resources Department information chief Sarah Wickham said the only winter-time activity permitted at Rocky Fork Lake State Park is sledding.
Responding to the 9-1-1 call that was received by dispatchers at around 6:30 p.m. was 36-year-old Ohio Department of Natural Resources Officer Jason Lagore, a 15-year veteran of the Natural Resources agency that specializes in state park and watercraft matters.
Lagore’s was often photographed his K-9 partner, his latest one being “Sarge;” not surprising give that the officer created the agency’s K-9 academy and led its Division of Parks and Watercraft K-9 training program.
During the search, Officer Lagore suffered a medical emergency and was taken to Highland District Hospital in Hillsboro where he was pronounced dead, Wickham said.
The exact nature of Lagore death has not been announced.
Wickham said the Natural Resources Department was assisted by the Paint Creek Joint EMS & Fire, Lynchburg Area Joint Fire & Ambulance, Highland County Emergency Management, Highland County Sheriff’s Office, Highland County Coroner’s Office, Task Force 1 dive team from Hamilton County, the dive team from Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Eastern Joint Fire District, and Fayetteville Fire Department.
“The initial call was made by a person in the area who heard the cries for help. That person called for help then assisted the young man out of the water,” Wickham said. “Our officers were alerted by county radio traffic that two victims had fallen through the ice.”
In the course of the evening a dive team recovered the body of the 16-year-old girl and transported the body to the hospital where her death was officially pronounced.
The death of officer Lagore and the teenager has sent shock waves throughout the Natural Resources Department and has even reached the offices of Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Ohio Attorney General David Yost.
In a prepared statement, Natural Resources Direcror Mary Mertz said that “our hearts are with the family and loved ones of Officer Jason Lagore, who died in the line of duty last night.”
"Our law enforcement officers and their families carry a unique and challenging burden of responsibilities, and we are deeply grateful for their service,” Mertz said.
In a February 24th Tweet, DeWine said that “Fran and I offer our deepest condolences to officer Lagore’s family and colleagues.. In honor of his life and service, I’ve ordered flags lowered on public buildings and grounds in Highland County, at the statehouse, Riffe Center and Rhodes Tower in Columbus.”
Yost was even more direct, saying in his statement: "Broken ice and the frigid black water beneath can only be terrifying - Dante's deepest circle of Hell is ice, and not flames.”
“Officer Lagore acted with extreme courage to go to the rescue of these two kids; his example demonstrates the very highest valor. My deepest sympathies are with his family, the family of the girl he could not rescue and his colleagues,” Yost said.
“I pray for comfort for all those who mourn.”
In her concluding remarks, Wickham noted that “Visitors are warned to stay off of the ice at Ohio state parks. No ice should be considered safe ice.”
- By Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
JFrischk@Ameritech.net
JFrischk4@gmail.com
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