Curry County Sheriff's Office:

On Tuesday at about 6:53 p.m., the Curry County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch received a 911 call from Agness resident David Harelson reporting a boating accident on the Rogue River above Foster Bar in Agness. 

Harelson who is the camp host at Foster Bar Campground stated the boat was a 17-foot jet sled stuck on rocks in the river and there were still three people on board including a 7-year-old boy.

Harelson stated that there had been four people on board but that one of them, 32-year-old Justin Aires of Newport, Oregon had swam to shore to get help. Sheriff’s Dispatch contacted off duty Marine Deputy Walter Scherbarth who responded with the marine boat to Foster Bar boat ramp along with SAR Rescue Swimmers Tyler McGinnis and Tad Bell.

At about 8:22 p.m., while fighting approaching darkness, they launched the marine boat and within about three minutes located the boat stuck on bedrock in swift shallow water at a place referred to as the Brewery Hole near Allen’s Alley. 

Deputy Scherbarth relayed to Dispatch that the boat was in a bad location and he was not sure if they would be able to safely get the people off the boat that evening. 

While holding the marine boat in the swift shallow water about 50 feet above the stranded boat, rescue swimmers Tad Bell and Tyler McGinnis used a long line tied to the marine boat and waded down to the stranded boat. 

As darkness fell, the rescue swimmers were able to get the 7-year-old boy back to the marine boat. At that time the marine boat got stuck on bedrock and sucked up gravel in the intake rendering the boat inoperable at that time.

A call was placed to SAR member Ryan McGinnis to assist with his small homemade jet sled (The HOB) and a call to local Agness resident and fishing guide Jon Carl to respond. Patrol Deputy Garrett Shannon, also a rescue swimmer responded to the location as well to meet up with Jon Carl.

As they were responding, Deputy Scherbarth and SAR members were able to get the marine boat unstuck and the other two people off the stranded boat and back to shore where they were given a ride by local Agness residents back to Foster Bar Campground. Deputy Scherbarth and the two rescue swimmers made it back down in the marine boat to Foster Bar boat ramp. 

This was a harrowing experience and could have turned out very bad, but thanks to the expertise and training of Deputy Scherbarth and our SAR Rescue swimmers Tad Bell and Tyler McGinnis, everyone made it out okay. The stranded boat was left lodged in the river to be recovered the next day in the daylight.

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