Texas Man Arrested After Heroic Rescue

LadyFish

LadyFish

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Tue Jul 5, 7:09 AM ET<br /><br />SAN MARCOS, Texas - A man who rescued a swimmer caught in swirling river currents found himself in trouble soon afterward when he was arrested by authorities who claimed he was interfering. <br /><br />Dave Newman, 48, disobeyed repeated orders by emergency personnel to leave the water, police said. He was charged with interfering with public duties.<br /><br />"I was amazed," Newman said Monday after his release on $2,000 bail. "I had a very uncomfortable night after saving that guy's life. He thanked me for it in front of the police, and then they took me to jail."<br /><br />Abed Duamni, 35, of Houston, said he had just finished eating at a restaurant Sunday when he decided to go for a swim in a nearby river. Duamni said he didn't see any signs warning swimmers of dangerous currents.<br /><br />Newman said he pulled Duamni out of the water, swimming under a waterfall and over to the shore opposite from the restaurant. He could hear law enforcement personnel telling him to come back to the other side.<br /><br />According to police, Newman smirked and seemed annoyed by officers' requests. He stood in the water for about 15 seconds before swimming downstream.<br /><br />"When he came across the river, the officer stuck out his hand like he's going to help him out of the water, and he put cuffs on him," said John Parnell, pastor of St. Augustine Old Roman Catholic Church in Fort Worth.<br /><br /> :confused:
 
marcmccain

marcmccain

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Re: Texas Man Arrested After Heroic Rescue

No good deed goes unpunished ;) <br /><br />Let's count on a judge who would determine what any reasonable person would do to do the right thing.
 
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kenimpzoom

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Re: Texas Man Arrested After Heroic Rescue

I read that too and just couldnt understand.<br /><br />I think there is something deeper here, cause the article I read mentioned the rescuer was a person who petitioned the city to end the ban on swimming in that area.<br /><br />***************************************<br />Duamni, who said he did not see any signs warning swimmers of the dangerous currents, jumped into the water several times before the current caught him. He had just finished eating at the restaurant when he decided to go for a swim.<br /><br />"I reached a point where I said, 'I'm dead,' " Duamni, who was visiting San Marcos, said from his Houston home Monday night. "There's was nothing I could do. I thought, 'That's it, I'm over, I'm gone.'"<br /><br />After reaching Duamni, Newman said he swam with him under a waterfall and deposited him on the shore opposite the restaurant. He could hear law enforcement personnel telling him to come back to the shore by the restaurant.<br /><br />According to the report, Newman smirked and seemed annoyed by officers' requests. He stood in the water for about 15 seconds before swimming downstream, to avoid the turbulence from the waterfall, and across the river to the officers, the report said.<br /><br />"When he came across the river, the officer stuck out his hand like he's going to help him out of the water, and he put cuffs on him," said the Rev. John Parnell, pastor of St. Augustine Old Roman Catholic Church in Fort Worth.<br /><br />According to the police report and witness accounts, the crowd that had gathered to watch the rescue was upset when they saw the police arrest Newman.<br /><br />Parnell and another man blocked the police officer's path to the squad car while other members of the crowd yelled at the police, telling them Newman had saved Duamni's life and should not be arrested.<br /><br />University spokesman Mark Hendricks said he did not know whether Newman rescued Duamni. Hendricks said it was his understanding that Newman was uncooperative with authorities.<br /><br />When Duamni got out of the water, he saw Newman in handcuffs and asked who he was. "I said, 'What's the deal,' and the police said, 'He got you out,'" Duamni said.<br /><br />San Marcos resident Bob Ogletree said he understood why emergency personnel wanted to clear the water, but didn't understand why Newman had to be arrested.<br /><br />In 1999, Texas State University, which owns the dam and the land around it, erected a fence to prohibit access to that part of the river. Later that year, the City Council enacted a swimming ban on that portion of the river. But Newman led a successful campaign to get the fences around the swimming hole removed and the ban relaxed.<br /><br />In April, 22-year-old Jason Lee Bonnin, and a Texas State University student, drowned after he and three other restaurant workers jumped from the eatery into the river.<br /><br />*******************<br /><br />Ken
 
N

neumanns

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Re: Texas Man Arrested After Heroic Rescue

Give the guy a medal and fire the cop.
 
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brother chris

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Re: Texas Man Arrested After Heroic Rescue

Okay, those cops just suck! <br />Buddy saves a life and gets thrown in the slammer. I think that cop needs a slap or 2 right across the head. Then fired!
 
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sue5878

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Re: Texas Man Arrested After Heroic Rescue

Weve only got one side of the story.. I hope there is another because, well what can I say
 
L

Limited-Time

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Re: Texas Man Arrested After Heroic Rescue

Timing is every thing; I can see the cops worrying about 2 victims instead of 1. But to arrest the guy on the spot, then and there, that goes beyond bad PR. That’s just stupid.
 
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oddjob

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Re: Texas Man Arrested After Heroic Rescue

dang show-off!... that'll learn him....all the time running around sav'n folks and what not.<br /><br /><br />Dont mean to get off subject,...but why does everybody eat there and then jump in the river?...free ride downtown?....thats the real story ...... :)
 
aspeck

aspeck

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Re: Texas Man Arrested After Heroic Rescue

LOL at oj - you ain't right, dude!<br /><br />There has to be more, much more to the story - an officer of the law couldn't be THAT stupid. Maybe there were several warrants out for his arrest???? Would be real interesting to know what was going on from both sides.
 
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beezee28

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Re: Texas Man Arrested After Heroic Rescue

The cop should have pull him out and give him a pat on the back for saving the other guy. In situation like this, a life and death situation... split seconds counts and from my point of view... he did the samaritan job of getting into the water and save the other guy behind. At least this saved person mother know that she did not loose a son!! <br /><br />aspeck...it sure would be interesting to know the other side of this story.
 
K

KRS

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Re: Texas Man Arrested After Heroic Rescue

The REST of the story may be the officer's frustration that his orders weren't followed promptly. It became a matter of pride and authority and probably was angry. Anger makes people see in a very narrow view. Hopefully his emotions will quiet down and he will see the big picture.<br /><br />Mom always told me not to eat and swim :)
 
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salty87

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Re: Texas Man Arrested After Heroic Rescue

this isn't far from austin, there's been some stuff on the radio about it....not a terribly reliable source, i know.<br /><br />apparently, this area used to be a popular swimming hole...lots of those around. a support to a small dam got washed out and created a dangerous current and the swimming hole was shut down. this guy has been lobbying for it to be re-opened which sounds great but does nothing to address the dangerous current. the city claims it doesn't have the funding.<br /><br />anyway, this guy apparently had heard officials telling him to get out of the water and he went back in. pretty simple. doesn't help that he was known around the area and certainly doens't help that he was swimming in a restricted spot. from the description, he ignored rescue officials every chance he had...even when everything was done with and the man rescued, this guy swam to the other side of the waterway instead of where everyone was assembled.<br /><br />hero? i don't think so, more like heroic act but what if he had gotten into trouble too? there were trained professionals on the spot properly equipped to deal with it.
 
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brother chris

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Re: Texas Man Arrested After Heroic Rescue

Originally posted by salty87:<br /> <br /> there were trained professionals on the spot properly equipped to deal with it.
Click to expand...
Well, if there were trained professionals there, why did they not help????????????????????
 
L

Link

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Re: Texas Man Arrested After Heroic Rescue

Originally posted by brother chris:<br />
Originally posted by salty87:<br /> <br /> there were trained professionals on the spot properly equipped to deal with it.
Click to expand...
Well, if there were trained professionals there, why did they not help????????????????????
Click to expand...
What and not make a arrest for the day! Sure;y you jest ;) <br />Was wondering the same thing myself
 
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