Published: March 30, 2009 02:29 pm      

Man drowns in Irish Lake while fleeing police

NORTH WEBSTER, Ind. – A young man who fled from sheriff’s deputies drowned early Sunday at Irish Lake.

According to a report by the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department, a North Webster police officer was called to Lake Estates Mobile Home Park at 5:05 a.m. Sunday on a report of a suspicious person. Officers located an all-terrain vehicle in a roadway and a short time later a pickup truck with a trailer arrived.

The North Webster officer approached the three people with the truck and one claimed to be the owner of the ATV. He questioned the three about their activity in the area.

One of the three, later identified as Jarred Lee Neibert, 21, Winona Lake, allegedly gave a false name to the officer. While the officer was checking the identity of the people, Neibert fled on foot.

There was an arrest warrant for Neibert, although the officer was not aware of that when Neibert ran, according to police. Neibert went into the lake and tried to swim across a channel to flee police. Other officers arrived at the scene and took positions on each side of the channel.

Neibert began to struggle and could not swim to either shore. Officers were unable to reach the victim and he drowned. The body was recovered from the Irish Lake channel at 11:36 a.m.

No one was charged with any crime, according to the sheriff’s department release.

The sheriff’s department dive team, the Warsaw dive team, conservation officers and North Webster emergency medical services were also at the scene to assist with the incident.

Irish Lake is part of the Barbee lakes chain and is southwest of Lake Wawasee and west of North Webster.