Burlington

Fishermen rescue woman in Browns Lake

She told deputies she wanted to swim across lake

Two fishermen rescued a woman who was floundering in the cold water of Browns Lake Monday evening, according to the Racine County Sheriff’s Department.

The woman, 26, was suffering from hypothermia and was taken to a hospital for treatment and a possible mental health evaluation, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

She reportedly told deputies she wanted to swim across the lake.

Officials said the temperature of the lake was between 40 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit. They estimated she had been in the water 35 to 45 minutes.

The fishermen, Gerald Amettis and Caleb Rose, both of Burlington, told investigators they saw something bobbing in the water about 100 yards from shore and at first thought it was a ball.

“As they got closer it was determined to be a female who was in the water up to her ear level and barely treading water when they got to her and pulled her out,” Sgt. Troy Ruffalo wrote in a news release issued by the Sheriff’s Office.

The incident began for investigators at 7:22 p.m. when they received a call about a suspicious vehicle in the 3500 block of Caldwell Drive in the Town of Burlington. The caller stated that an unknown woman parked her car in their driveway and then began walking toward the lake, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies found the vehicle in the driveway and a cell phone near the shore, but were unable to locate the woman.

About 8:05 p.m. the county’s Communication Center received an emergency call from the fishermen stating they had pulled the woman from the lake, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies and rescue personnel responded to the scene and determined the woman was the same person who left her vehicle in the first caller’s driveway.

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