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Contra Costa Deputy Drowns In Lake Tahoe While Trying To Help Friend

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE (CBS SF) -- An off-duty Contra Costa Sheriff's deputy drowned in Lake Tahoe while trying to come to the aid of a friend who appeared to be struggling in the water, according to authorities.

Deputy Sheriff Carlos Francies had been on an outing with his girlfriend, his sister, and another male friend on El Dorado Beach on the south shore Thursday afternoon, South Lake Tahoe police said.

The group had rented kayaks and paddle boards and was more than 100 yards offshore in about 15 feet of water when Francies saw his sister fall from her kayak. He and the male friend both jumped into the water to help her, and the friend reached her first and assisted her back onto her kayak, police said.

Deputy Carlos Francies
Deputy Carlos Francies (Contra Costa Sheriff's Office)

Francies' sister was the only one of the four to put on a life jacket. At the time there was a high wind warning on the lake, police said.

The friend then began swimming back to his own kayak while holding a paddle, and it appeared to Deputy Francies from a distance that his friend was in distress, police said.

The deputy began swimming toward his friend to help him, but began to falter and fell into distress about 20 feet from his paddle board. He called out to his girlfriend to toss him his life vest, but throwing it against the wind it fell far short, according to police.

His girlfriend then jumped into the water to get him the life vest and by the time she reached him, Deputy Francies had begun to sink and was unconscious, police said. At that point others witnesses had joined the rescue attempt and the deputy was placed aboard a paddle board while his girlfriend, a registered nurse, performed CPR.

Medics arrived and continued the CPR. Deputy Francies was taken to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

"Today we lost a dedicated deputy sheriff and member of our family," Contra Costa Sheriff David Livingston said in a statement. "Deputy Carlos Francies died doing what he was sworn to do: putting himself in harm's way to protect the lives of others. He is a hero and an example of exactly what is right in law enforcement today."

The sheriff's office was sending a team to Lake Tahoe to gather more information on the incident.

In a statement, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department said Deputy Francies "acted heroically in laying down his own life in his attempt to save another here in our city. We are deeply saddened at the loss of this brave public servant, and extend our deepest condolences to his family, to his agency and to his community."

 

TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Bay City News Service contributed to this report.

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