Inmates jump in to help kids after canoe overturns
VANCOUVER, Wash. - Inmates on a work crew jumped into action Wednesday when a canoe overturned in a creek near Klineline Pond in Vancouver, sending three children into cold, fast-moving water.
A 16-year-old boy was able to swim to shore, firefighters said. The other two children involved, who are 8 and 11 years old, only managed to swim to some wood debris in the water.
Nancy Simmons with the Larch Correction Center said inmates Larry Bohn and Nelson Pettis were doing work as part of a maintenance crew around noon when the kids fell in Salmon Creek.
Bohn and Pettis jumped in the water to help the stranded boys. Eventually firefighters showed up and were able to bring the boys safely the shore.
The two inmates safely made it out of the water on their own. All five people in the water were taken to area hospitals to get treatment for mild hypothermia.
It was not immediately clear if the children were wearing flotation devices. Simmons said she did not know what Bohn and Pettis were incarcerated for.
Simmons said Pettis was also involved in subduing a man who was assaulting a forestry officer some months ago.
ANOTHER WAY TO THINK
three men paying for and serving their sentences for NON VIOLENT CRIMES, for lack of good judgment made during their adolescent years, Â ironically save three adolescent boys making bad judgments during their adolescent years.Â
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Not an appropriate vessel for the conditions, terrible timing, and shows a lack of judgement on several levels. Those kids are lucky they are not dead.
People make mistakes and go to jail. It does not always mean they are a bad person, just that they did something wrong. In the case of these two inmates, we haven't been told what they are in for. I'm sure the authorities will take what they did into consideration and weigh it out. Whatever the outcome, it was a good thing they did and I offer my congratulations.
@Pointblank Well said! I choose to accept your words of praise and encouragement in your post instead of the fools talking crap about the kids.
Kudos to Bohn and Pettis. This was a real feel-good story.
Nice going on the inmates part....well done!
Gotta love (not) all of you who are reading details into the story that are unknown. You are already persecuting the kids and parents before knowing all the facts. No surprise there.Â
Awesome story. Fortunately them sireens didn't turn one of 'em into a toad.
These guys seem to do better in jail than they do on the outside.
 @RalphCramdenJail works for the very few with a conscience.
Add my kudos to this. WTG guy's! I do wonder if this older boy just took the canoe and the other two went along for the ride without anyone knowing. Think its a big possibility there. I suppose we may find out.. I'd like to know on that.. possibly the older one could be in deep kimchee..
Good goin' guys.!!
It is obvious that with the actions of these two inmates, they should be evaluated for parole. Of course, I have no idea what they were originally convicted of or sentence to, but the mere fact that they are already on a type of trustee work program should assist with consideration of their case. Bench Parole I believe would be at the discretion of the judge who sentenced them.
Great job on the part of the inmates! Quick action helped prevent a major incident.
I am not sure why the kids were out without someone to watch over them. The 16 year old was able to make it out on his own....what would have happened if there was no one around to help?Were they equipped with PFD's?
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Parents....not a very good idea, I would having a long serious talk with the kids if they were mine.
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Might not be a bad idea to check and see if those guys could be on parole instead.
 @old_dollor  Well, yes and no. Pettis sounds like he's an asset to the jail environment what with his actions today and in the other incident.
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But I do agree. He sounds like a good guy who must have made a mistake. Hopefully, his time behind bars and these two incidents will help him re-evaluate his life and habits.
 @HenryBowman  @old_dollor thats pretty bold to say about this HERO for not knowing this Pettis or his convictions. re-evaluate life and habits, are a daily chore for the non-perfect human race.Â
@HenryBowman I think you are right when he knows how good he can be he'll do better.
Kudos to the 2 inmates for doing the right thing, and averting what could easily have ended in tragedy..! Â Â
I agree with "shorin's" post; why were these kids out in a canoe in the middle of winter without adult supervision..???
Would the parents of the 8 and 11 year old please explain why these kids were in a canoe in January with only the supervision of a teenager?
 @shorin Hey now. Parents pay $$$ every year to send their kids away to be out in canoes with 16 year olds. That being said, those 16 yr olds are trained with water safety. Life jackets are a must in every boating event~!
@shorin  Are you a helicopter parent? What does being in a canoe in January have to do with anything? Just because you wouldn't do it, doesn't make it a bad thing. Neither is having a 16 year old watch a couple of younger kids. Since obviously K2 doesn't know how to report with details, perhaps you should wait to get the facts before implying something was done wrong.Â
 @wonderingÂ
Do you happen to have the facts? If so please share. Were the kids wearing PFD's (Personal Floatation Device)? What is their expertise in rapid water? Did they have a backup plan?
For what is reported, there is a lot missing. However still not a very good idea to let little kids (8-11) in a fast moving stream. What might have happened if the inmate crew was not close at hand?
A lot of unanswered questions I know.
 @shorin Well, it sounded like a good idea at the time , , , ,
 @Jumpin' Jehosophat  @shorin I'm wondering if these boy's took the canoe without consent etc.. it is a big possibility they did ... Regardless, they should be in deep doo-doo!Â
There is some good in everybody.
 @tcm  You never met my stepmother...