STPSO Patrol Deputy Credited with Helping Save Four Boaters

Thanks to the cooperation between a St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s patrol deputy, members of the U.S. Coast Guard and members of the STPSO Marine Division, four people were rescued from a disabled boat early Thursday (June 15, 2023) morning near the Highway 11 Bridge.

At approximately 5:15 a.m. Thursday, the U.S. Coast Guard requested assistance from the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office in locating a boat that was believed to be floating adrift in Lake Pontchartrain. A STPSO deputy who was patrolling in the area heard the call for help and responded to the Highway 11 bridge to offer his assistance. Shining a spotlight in the water, the deputy located the boat, a 24-foot Bayliner occupied by two adults and two children, pushed against the Highway 11 drawbridge tower. With the assistance of a U.S. Guard vessel that was in the area, the STPSO deputy was able to secure the boat and pull all four occupants of the boat safely onto the bridge. Members of the STPSO Marine responded and towed the boat to shore.

The captain of the boat told deputies he had taken the other adult and the two children, all three of which were visiting from out of state, out on his boat the night prior for some night fishing. At approximately 2 a.m. Thursday the boat lost power and they began drifting in the waters between the Highway 11 Bridge and the Railroad Trestle.

“I want to thank this patrol deputy, who answered a call for help and used his law enforcement intuition and training to locate and ultimately rescue four individuals,” Sheriff Randy Smith said.