Southern Indiana Man Steals Duck Float During Severe Weather

Thursday was certainly a day for the history books in Evansville. There was severe weather, lightning, most cell phone services were down, power outages, and then there was a dramatic water rescue that turned into an arrest.

Read EPD's report from the incident below.

Photo: Wayne Hart Courtesy of Taylor Sanders

Rubber Ducky You're the One

I was checking EvansvilleWatch before my afternoon nap, and I saw a post that made me literally laugh out loud.

Water Rescue- Ohio River, near Broadway Ave/ Evansville Marine. Caller states a male subject with a safety vest and a hard hat on is swimming and pulling a large duck raft behind him.

The man did not want to be rescued and tried to row away using a shovel.

Photo: EvansvilleWatch - Taylor S.

Water Rescue Leads to Arrest

34-year-old Jeffrey Chumley was booked into the Vanderburgh County jail about two hours after he was rescued from the Ohio River. He was taken to the hospital and checked out before he was booked for theft. As it turns out, the giant duck raft was not his.

The Comments are Gold

"We should declare this a new city holiday, duck day. Next year we all float down
the river on inflatable ducks. Points for decorating your duck." ~ Jim Wade

Evansville Police Dept. News Release: Water Rescue / Arrest

On June 29th, around 3:15 p.m., during an active severe thunderstorm, the Evansville Police Department and Evansville Fire Department were dispatched to the 2300 block of Broadway Ave. for a water rescue. Employees from the Port of Evansville reported that a white male with a hard hat and work vest stole a large Rubber Ducky raft and was quickly floating down the Ohio River. The male was using a shovel to paddle down the river. Evansville Marine Services employees put a tugboat on the river and were trying to get to the male to help him. The male acted like he did not want help and kept shooing them away. With quick assistance from the Evansville Fire Department and Evansville Police Department, first responders boarded the Evansville Marine Services tugboat and were able to catch up to the male. They pulled the male from the water and returned to the dock. The male was identified as Jeffery Chumley and he was taken into custody. Chumley was taken to a local hospital for medical clearance. After Chumley was medically cleared, he was transported to the Vanderburgh County Confinement Center and charged with Theft. Although first responders were very busy during this incident, responding to trees/limbs down, streets flooding, and power lines down, first responders were still able to quickly respond to this incident before Chumley floated too far down the river. We would like to thank the Evansville Marine Services and the Evansville Fire Department for their teamwork. Even during a thunderstorm and less-than-ideal water conditions, no one was injured during the water rescue. *Picture courtesy of Evansville Watch

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