MASON CITY – Too many cold ones could have caused a tragic ending to a rafting excursion for two Mason City men. Instead, a warm jail cell was waiting for them after a police rescue.
According to Mason City police, yesterday, at 3:23 PM, a citizen reported two men stuck in the undertow of the dam, south of the 12th Street NE bridge (400 block of 12th NE). Officers arrived to find two men in the water clinging to a raft, unable to paddle free of the churning current created by the dam. Officers had throw ropes in their cars and used these to pull the men and their boat to shore. Fire medics were on scene to evaluate both men who had no serious injuries or medical conditions.
Officers then arrested both men – Rusty Thorngren and Mark Ciska – for Public Intox, 3rd or Subsequent Offense, an aggravated misdemeanor. After arrest, Ciska wished to go to the hospital for treatment. Fire medics did transport Ciska to the hospital where he was evaluated by ER staff and then released back to police who transported Ciska to jail. Thorngren was also jailed.
