Five rescued from Sacramento River after rafting trip goes awry

May 6, 2020 Trevor Montgomery

REDDING, Calif. — A day of Cinco de Mayo fun and frolicking on the Sacrament River almost turned deadly when five Redding residents became stranded and nearly drowned Tuesday afternoon, May 5.

The victims, all of whom were successfully rescued by officers and citizens, were using an inflatable raft on the river when it became snagged on a partially submerged log; causing the small boat to deflate.

None of the victims had been wearing life vests or had any other protective flotation devices with them when their inflatable failed, according to authorities who coordinated their rescue.

Yesterday’s water rescue follows just one day after the body of a 31-year-old Anderson man was recovered from the river, after the victim was pulled under the swift currents while trying to swim across the river to help a friend who had become stranded when his Jet Ski broke down.

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Redding Police and Fire personnel were alerted to the crisis just after 4:30 p.m., after receiving reports that five citizens in a raft had snagged on a log in the middle of the river, Redding Police Corporal Jon Sheldon has since reported.

The victims calling from the raft told SHASCOM emergency dispatchers they did not have enough life jackets and their small raft was deflating, the Cpl. explained.

“The five citizens remained on the phone with 911 and reported they were growing too cold and fatigued to hang onto their raft and the log their inflatable was hung up on,” said Sheldon.

Hoisted from the icy waters of the Sacramento River, a Redding rafter is ferried to the shoreline to awaiting emergency personnel. Redding PD photo

Based on the circumstances, while officials were responding to the scene they requested assistance from members of Shasta County Sheriffs Boat Safety Unit as well as California Highway Patrol’s AirOps, who immediately launched a helicopter to the area.

Emergency personnel, including Redding PD Officer Gilmette, accessed the river from the 3500 block of Riverview Dr. and quickly spotted the five victims, who eventually lost control of the damaged raft and began to drift down river.

Seeing the immediate danger and recognizing the urgency of the situation, Gilmette – who happened to be near a river boat operated by area residents Duane Shoemaker and Darren Webster – boarded the citizens’ boat, commandeering the vessel to attempt an emergency water rescue.

With help from Shoemaker and Webster, Gilmette managed to save three of the victims by pulling them into the citizens’ boat.

Meanwhile, the aviation crew in CHP’s helicopter was able to hoist the remaining two victims out of the water and safely transport them to the shoreline, where they were checked out by medical personnel along with the other three victims.

SEE RELATED: Body recovered from Sacramento River may be missing Anderson man

The rafters have since been identified as Redding residents Noelle Lake, 26, Cesar Jose, 30, Brittany James, 28, Zachary Cobd, 37, and Venessa Viera, 24.

“The group said they had been celebrating Cinco de Mayo by floating down the Sacramento River on their personal raft when they became snagged and partially overturned on the submerged log,” Sheldon said after the incident. “They reported the water was too cold and too swift to regain control of their raft which prompted the call for help.”

“The actions of CHP Air Ops, Officer Gilmette, citizens Duane Shoemaker and Darren Webster undoubtedly saved the lives of the five rafters,” Sheldon continued.

“The Redding Police Department would like to remind citizens to use caution and never underestimate the swift and frigid waters of the Sacramento River,” Sheldon admonished; adding, “Rafters should wear life jackets at all times while on the River.”

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Redding PD photos

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Trevor Montgomery, 48, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, (the now defunct) Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 29 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 16 grandchildren.