Two local young people were rescued from the St. Louis River in Jay Cooke Park last weekend after they became stranded at nearly the exact same spot where a family that had to be rescued last year.
"This incident was within a rock away from where we pulled a father and his two sons out of there last year," said Carlton County Sheriff Kelly Lake.
Dustin Solis, 21, of Cloquet called 911 just before 6 p.m. Saturday to report that he and his girlfriend, Alyssa Rauch, 19, were stranded on the rocks in the river approximately one-quarter mile from park headquarters, according to Lake. They had jumped along the rocks out into the river but were unable to return to shore because of the fast-moving water.
Minnesota Power reduced the flow of water through its dam, and emergency responders from the Sheriff's Office, Carlton Fire Department and Carlton County Dive/Rescue Team got the pair off the rocks almost two hours after they called for help.
The pair was taken to Community Memorial Hospital as a precaution, although neither suffered injuries, Lake said.
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Lake cautioned people against trying to walk on the rocks in the river at the park.
"The rocks are very slippery, and the river has an extremely fast moving current," she said in a news release.
Lake added it seems that a similar incident or incidents happen every year at the park and that people should use common sense before risking their lives and the lives of others.
Lake also set the record straight regarding liability for the cost of the rescue effort. She said a local news source mistakenly indicated that the sheriff's office is considering making the victims pay for such rescues from here on out.
"That has never been the case in the past, and I can't see it happening in the future," said Lake.
