July 16, 2024 – Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office officials report that last month, TCSO Dispatch received a call from Behavioral Health reporting a man who was having a mental health crisis in Twain Harte. Deputies arrived on the scene and located the man near the area of Brentwood Lake. The man began speaking to one of the deputies and made statements about wanting to drown himself. The deputy calmly talked with the man for about an hour to build rapport and attempt to assist the man in his time of crisis. The man then entered the nearby lake and submerged himself. The deputy sprinted towards the man, dove into the water in full uniform, and pulled the man back towards the bank. The deputy and a TCSO Sergeant were able to pull the man to the shoreline safely.
The attached body cam video shows the moment the deputy sprinted towards the water and dove in to assist.
During incidents involving mental health, our goal is always to reach a peaceful resolution and keep everyone safe. To achieve this goal, we frequently work with our community partners, such as Tuolumne County Behavioral Health, to address incidents involving mental health within our community and offer those in crisis support and resources. We want to thank Tuolumne County Behavioral Health for their ongoing assistance and support.
If you or anyone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis there are county resources available to help. If you believe there is an emergency situation, please don’t hesitate to call 911. Additionally, Tuolumne County Behavioral Health offers free 24-hour crisis phone services at (209) 533-7000, or you can call 988 to reach the suicide and crisis lifeline. Behavioral health also connects community members to ongoing support and resources, for more information follow the link: https://www.tuolumnecounty.ca.gov/220/Behavioral-Health.
View video here.
Source: Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office
