Midwest
Missouri woman becomes fifth victim in four days of Florida beach town's dangerous riptides
A 60-year-old woman from Missouri has become the fifth tourist in four days to die off the shore of Panama City Beach, Florida.
Debbie Szymanski of St. Louis was found unresponsive by family members in Gulf waters around 11:30 a.m. Sunday. They were bringing her to shore when Bay County Sheriff’s Office deputies and emergency medical services arrived on scene near Carillon on the west end of Panama City Beach, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.
Szymanski was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead, the sheriff’s office said. She was a victim of a riptide, the New York Post reported.
Two days prior, three young Alabama men who had traveled to the same area with a group of friends had just checked into their rental and went for a swim when they got into distress, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.
BEACH SAFETY TIPS: 7 THINGS TO DO IN A RIP CURRENT AND HOW TO STAY SAFE NEAR THE WATER
Do not try to swim directly in to shore if you are caught in a rip current – instead, swim along the shoreline until you escape the current’s pull. (Hutchinson Island Florida Facebook page)
“The three men were caught in a rip currently shortly after entering the water,” the post said. They have been identified as Harold Denzel Hunter, 25; Jemonda Ray, 24 and Marius Richardson, 24, from Birmingham. All three were fathers.
Last Thursday, 19-year-old Ryker Milton from Oklahoma died after being caught in a rip current off Panama City Beach, Oklahoma City TV station KOCO reported.
BE WELL: PREVENT DROWNING WITH THESE CHILD SAFETY WATER TIPS
Bay County Sheriff’s Office’s latest Facebook post reminds beach goers that single red flags posted on the shores means there are strong currents in the water.
Flags are posted at beaches across Florida to alert those who choose to go in the water about current conditions. (WTVT)
That same day, a Pennsylvania couple visiting Florida with their six children drowned after they were caught in a rip current while swimming.
PENNSYLVANIA PARENTS VACATIONING WITH CHILDREN IN FLORIDA DROWN AFTER GETTING CAUGHT IN RIP CURRENT
This image provided by NOAA pictures a harmless green dye used to show a rip current. Rip currents are powerful, narrow channels of fast-moving water that are prevalent along the East, Gulf, and West coasts of the U.S., as well as along the shores of the Great Lakes. About 100 people drown from rip currents along U.S. beaches each year, according to the U.S. Lifesaving Association. (NOAA via AP)
Brian Warter, 51, 48-year-old Erica Wishard, and two of their mostly teenage children were caught in the current on Hutchinson Island along Florida’s southeast coast, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post. It added that the two children were able to break free of the current and tried to help their parents but were forced to swim ashore when conditions became too dangerous.
Martin County Ocean Rescue attempted life-saving measures and took the couple to a local hospital, where they were pronounced dead, according to the sheriff’s office.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Read the full article from Here
President Trump traveled to North Dakota on Wednesday to visit the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library before its official opening on Saturday.
“He had a freakin’ wild life,” Trump told an audience at a Western-themed amphitheater, the Associated Press reported. “He didn’t want to be quiet. He wanted to be great.”
The library is expected to be a major source of tourism in rural western North Dakota.
-The Hagstrom Report
A Kentucky woman who had been missing for more than two weeks was found dead in her vehicle in Ohio, authorities said.
The body of Debra Wireman was found in her vehicle on July 3 in Clermont County, Ohio, the Flemingsburg Police Department in Kentucky said on Facebook on Wednesday. Investigators were called to the scene after a report identifying the vehicle as belonging to a missing person, police said. The remains were identified as Wireman’s by the Clermont County Coroner’s Office on July 7, according to law enforcement.
Police in Kentucky said the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office in Ohio is investigating the woman’s death. No additional information will be released by Flemingsburg police “out of respect for Debra’s family and the integrity of that investigation.”
“While this is not the outcome any of us hoped and prayed for, we are thankful that Debra has been found and that her family can now begin to receive the closure they deserve,” police added on Facebook.
Wireman, according to police, was last seen on June 17 at around 4:30 p.m. in Aberdeen, Ohio, while traveling toward Maysville, Kentucky. She was driving a white 2020 Kia Forte with front-end damage. Police said family and friends were “concerned for her welfare.”
“The overwhelming response from our community, neighboring agencies, the media, and countless individuals across the region demonstrated the very best of people coming together in the hope of bringing someone home safely,” Flemingsburg police said.
LARCHWOOD, Iowa (KIWA) – A Tea, South Dakota man has been arrested on a felony domestic abuse charge after an incident near Larchwood.
According to a criminal complaint filed with the Lyon County Clerk of Court’s Office by the Iowa State Patrol, 45-year-old Beau Christensen of Tea is accused of assaulting his girlfriend in their hotel room at Grand Falls Casino & Golf Resort near Larchwood. He was arrested on Wednesday, July 8.
In his statement, the state trooper who filed the report says Christensen put his hands around the victim’s neck. The victim stated she could not breathe while this was happening.
Christensen was charged with domestic abuse assault – impeding air or blood flow, a class D felony. If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison. He also faces a misdemeanor charge of possession of marijuana.
He faces a preliminary hearing on Friday, July 10.
At last report, Christensen remained in the Lyon County Jail in Rock Rapids in lieu of a $6000 bond.
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