COLUMBUS – A Columbus police officer was recognized for saving two people from the East Fork White River.
Officer Andrew Plank received a letter of commendation from Mayor Mary Ferdon at Tuesday’s Columbus Board of Public Works and Safety meeting.
According to the Columbus Police Department, rescue workers were called to Mill Race Park on Saturday, June 15th, because a woman in the water was yelling for help.
Plank raced to Mill Race Park and arrived two minutes after the emergency call. He was then directed to a sandbar in the water, where he found 34-year-old Charity Weis and her daughter staying afloat by holding onto a fallen tree. Weis shouted that she couldn’t hold on for much longer.
Officer Plank did not hesitate to remove his body armor and gear and dive into the water. He first assisted the 8-year-old child, swimming her to shore as she held onto his back. He then went back to rescue the mother.
Weis and her daughter emerged from the river safely and were evaluated by emergency medical services.
According to Weis, two children had been playing on a sandbar in the river and ended up in the water. Weis then went into the river to rescue them, but she and her 8-year-old daughter got caught in the current.
The Columbus Police Department encourages “anyone in or around a body of water to wear a personal floatation device. The river’s current can be deadly even for strong swimmers.
The commendation recognized Officer Plank’s heroic efforts.
“I did what anyone would do,” said Plank.
Plank has been part of the police force for more than ten years and previously served in the Marine Corps. During his tenure with the Marines, he was taught rescue swimming, which included lessons on how to swim with or against the current and how to save people who may be drowning.
This was not the first time Officer Plank was recognized for heroic efforts. In 2019, he received a letter of commendation from Mayor Jim Lienhoop for his efforts to save a teen who was attempting to kill themself.
