Intoxicated man rescued from Driftwood River

Bartholomew County’s water rescue and recovery team was called out on Sunday afternoon for an intoxicated subject in danger in the Driftwood River.

The call came in at about 2:13 p.m. that afternoon and the team was dispatched to the river near West Randy Road, according to reports from the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department.

Witnesses said that a man identified as 24-year-old Devin McIntosh of Franklin could not maintain his balance in the water and was becoming a danger to himself.  Friends and other kayakers tried to help him, but he reportedly became belligerent.

When deputies arrived McIntosh was halfway in the water and halfway on the bank being restrained by people at the river. The rescue team saved him from the water, even as he fought against them. But he had to be taken to Columbus Regional Hospital because of his intoxication level and the amount of water he had taken in, according to police reports.

Criminal charges of public intoxication are under review.