Cape rescuers pull man from river

A man was rescued from the water Wednesday evening on the Mississippi River south of Cape Girardeau.

A Cape Girardeau police officer responded about 5 p.m. to a call of a man acting suspiciously behind Isle Casino Cape Girardeau, Cape Girardeau Police Sgt. Adam Glueck said.

Upon arrival, the officer found the man, whose identity has not been released, by the railroad tracks, Glueck said.

A man floats south in the Mississippi River Wednesday. The man refused to help from first responders on two towboats and a couple fire department boats as he floated south. The man was rescued farther south on the river. (Laura Simon)

"When the officer approached him, he had a knife in his hand," Glueck said. The man fled the officer and walked into the river over the hill near the casino.

Assistant Cape Girardeau fire chief Mark Hasheider, on one of two towboats on the river, tried to talk the man into grabbing a life preserver, but he refused. Glueck said the man also had thrown away a life jacket thrown to him.

Two Cape Girardeau Fire Department boats also assisted in the rescue.

Rescue efforts were staged at the Missouri Dry Dock and, later, the SEMO Port.

Glueck said via email the man voluntarily got out of the water and into one of the firefighters' boats, then was taken to a hospital because of "suicidal" comments and actions he had made.

Rescuers did not grab the man out of the water against his will because he was "shown to be uncooperative and combative," Glueck said. They also weren't sure whether he still had access to the knife, Glueck said.

No criminal charges have been filed.

kwebster@semissourian.com

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