Recovered Canoe/Dangerous Waters

Posted on 06/03/2024

Date: June 3, 2024
Case: Recovered Canoe / Dangerous Water Conditions - 2024-18566
Authority: Sergeant Scott Hanson

On Sunday, June 2, 2024, at approximately 7:00 pm the Washington County Sheriffs Office was notified of an overturned Coleman Ram X Canoe, red in color, located in the center of the Milwaukee River in the Town of Barton. Deputies from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office responded and determined the canoe was wedged into a downed tree and appeared unoccupied.

Deputies then used the Washington County Sheriff’s Office drones to complete a closer check of the canoe and the riverbanks along the Milwaukee River. After a lengthy search on June 2, Washington County Deputies, along with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, returned on Monday, June 3 to remove the canoe. While removing the canoe a nearby neighbor advised that two male subjects who were in the canoe had escaped after it overturned and were picked up. The Sheriff’s Office would like to return the canoe and the property recovered inside it to the rightful owners.

If you have any information on the owners, please contact the Washington County Sheriff’s Office at (262) 335-4378.

Additionally, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources advise against traveling on the Milwaukee River in Washington County. With the recent high amount of rainfall causing dangerous, high swift water conditions, and the large number of downed trees, the river has become unsafe for travel. This incident was the third time the Washington County Sheriff’s Office has responded to the Milwaukee River to aid citizens in distress within the last 10 days