The Curry County Sheriff’s Office received reports from the camp host at Foster Bar Campground in Agness of a boating accident on the Rogue River just before 7:00pm Tuesday evening, May 11th. Initial reports were that a seventeen foot jet sled had become stuck on rocks above Foster Bar on the Rogue River near Agness, and that three people were still on board including a 7 year old boy.
Sheriff’s Dispatch contacted off duty Marine Deputy Walter Scherbarth who responded with the marine boat to Foster Bar boat ramp along with Search and Rescue Swimmers.
As darkness became a concern, the marine boat was launched just after 8:20pm 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 fifty feet above the stranded boat, rescue swimmers used a long line tied to the marine boat to wade down to the stranded boat, and 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 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, 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. The stranded boat was left lodged in the river to be recovered the next day in the daylight.
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,” Sheriff Ward stated, “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.”
