A teenager and ODNR officer have died and another has been hospitalized after falling through an icy lake at Rocky Fork in Highland County.
It happened around 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday when emergency crews were called for a report of two teens who had fallen through the ice near the north shore boat docks at Rocky Fork Lake.
One of the teens, a 16-year-old boy, was able to rescue himself from the icy water and was taken to the hospital to be treated with hypothermia.
Around 11 p.m. after hours of searching Rocky Fork Lake, a teen girl, who had been trapped under the ice for four hours, was found by dive teams from Franklin County and pulled from the water. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
On Wednesday morning, Hillsboro Police Department announced that an Ohio Department of Natural Resource officer involved in the rescue had also died.
ODNR Officer Jason Lagore, who was a wildlife K-9 officer with the state, was involved in the rescue and passed away. It was not immediately confirmed by officials how Lagore died, but it was confirmed that he was involved in the rescue. According to HPD, Lagore was on-duty when he died and was participating in the rescue.
“Natural Resources Officer Jason Lagore died in the line of duty last night, responding to a call,” the Ohio Department of Natural Resources said. “We are deeply grateful for his service.”
“Officer Lagore was a dedicated officer, having served 15 years with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. He was responsible for the first ODNR K-9 academy, led the Division of Parks and Watercraft K-9 training program, and was well respected by law enforcement agencies across the state for his expertise working with K-9s. He leaves behind his K-9 partner, Sarge.”
“Our hearts and prayers go out to the family of the drowning victim and to our brothers and
sisters in blue for the loss of their officer in the line of duty,” said Brandon Jackman, spokesman for the area fire department.
Governor Mike DeWine has ordered flags to be flown at half staff in Lagore’s honor.
Officials are not releasing the teens’ name at this time.
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