Early Wednesday afternoon Don Wayne Hoover , 57, of The Woodlands put an aluminum boat into the San Jacinto River at I-45. Within a short time he lost it in the current. Hoover then returned with 19-year-old Thomas Nathaniel Taylor of Spring. Together they set off to find the boat in a kayak. Fighting the current they were finally able to get close to shore about 2 miles downstream. and called for help.
Just after 3:30 Caney Creek and Conroe Fire Departments were dispatched to the river for a river rescue. With their rescue boat in tow and several firefighters trained in swift water rescue they arrived After checking the water they were able to contact Hoover by phone who stated that they had been able to get to land and were on the bank but there was nowhere to go due to heavy brush. It was then the Caney Creek Chief, knowing they were safely out of the water started an attempt to get an exact location in an effort to extract them by land.
As they worked on the plan Hoover, back in contact with the fire department asked where they were and wanted to know why a boat wasn’t in the water yet.
With the flat bottom boat in the amount of current there was and with large trees floating downstream the Chief knew it was much to dangerous to put that type of boat in the water when there was a chance by land.. When that was relayed to Hoover, Hoover said,” bottom line, are you going to put a boat in the water or not.”
When the chief responder with the alternate, Hoover said, “ then don’t waste my time and hung up.” Moments later he then called 911 telling them he was trapped on the San Jacinto River.
Caney Creek notified Montgomery County Precinct 4 Constables Office. Members of the Constable’s office equipped for swift water rescue with an inflatable boat, wet suits and other rescue equipment responded to the scene.
When they arrived they were able to back their Jeep with the boat attached into the river and launch it. It took only minutes with the swift water to get them to Hoover and Taylor. They were brought on board and started the slow trek back up the river against the current to Interstate 45. Just before they got to the Interstate they had to take evasive action to miss hitting a floating upside down outhouse head on.
Hoover or Taylor were uninjured.
Chief Barry Welch with Montgomery County Precinct 4 said with the water that swift and all the trees and debris that it was extremely dangerous for anyone to enter the water.
Prior to Constable Hayden taking office, he and several of his deputies were part of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Lake Patrol which has since been transferred to Precinct 1 Constables. Hayden and those deputies went through extensive swift water rescue training. Most were also volunteer firefighters and were also able to train with them.
Vo1 oh your so right. I mean 30,000 – 35,000 a year is plenty to raise a family on. What was I thinking? I talking the officers. Not the elected officials. That’s what these guys make when they start. I know it’s public record, thank you. Maybe you need to look it up. You can’t accept the fact that they are hard workers. Better then them living off your money……
Vo1 …… hahahaha paid well huh? That’s why almost all policemen work like 3 jobs then. And most firemen too. You ever see the officers at the skating rink? Think they want to try to control teens? How about the movie theater, oilfields, churches, stores….Firefighters, working a shift with this dept then leaving to work a shift with another dept. Is it true? Is ignorance bliss?
It’s called living within your means. Public servant salaries are public information. I would advise you to look them up before belching out your constant stream of rah rah sis boom bah. You would see that the salaries for police and firemen in this county are well above average and one can easily support a family with them. The problem comes in when they get a taste of that extra money and then start living like its a constant then as soon as the money dries up they’re back screaming at the public about how underpaid they are. Ummm no you’re not and it’s called a budget so set one and live on it. If you are so broke all the time that this job isn’t cutting it then find another one that does. Isn’t that the constant mantra of the tea baggers?
The irony of this whole thing is I just got a bill for police responding to a false alarm at my house caused by lightning which is totally out of my hands an act of nature as some would say and these two who were dumb enough to get in a boat and go down river make it to land and not in immediate danger get a fire crew plus constables and two boats and all kinds of other gear to go get a two ungrateful and judging off the pictures real fine outstanding citizens out a place they put themselves into. What happened to hey guys walk they were on land oh yeah briars and bushes I can’t walk thru that. They should have left them there for awhile.
This idiot would probably try to parachute into a tornado, What an complete idiot over a dang john boat. Demanding others risk their lives over someone’s absolute stupidity, I would like his autograph just so I could brag to friends that I met the dumbest S.O.B. in Texas
Since the commentary is still percolating on this, I shall add one more thought. If you were to look closely at the pictures of Mr. Hoover and young Mr. Taylor, it appears from the young man’s demeanor that he has a better grasp of the situation than the old fool who dragged him out into the river. Perhaps the best result of this whole thing is if Mr. Hoover gets thoroughly dressed down by Mr. Taylor’s mother!
Is that all?
I for one am in agreeance with VO1 most people are tired of people wasting are tax dollars and losing a good person to save a dumbass. Truly its part of nature survival of the fittest its refered to as naturally cull the herd.
Once again Drifter is the only one seeing The Big Picture here. God is trying to rid the world of His mistakes but people keep saving them. Stop it, yall, STOP IT!
Every last one of you needs to look in the mirror because you are in fact hypocrites.
That Hoover dude reminds me of the typical left wing dingbat demanding that someone come and help him and do it his way or not at all. And FREE!
And just to think……..they reproduce!! Scary!
Amen shrek amen.
Thank you for saying those things.
The voice of one has said it’s comical and sad that we are willing to put our lives on the line to help people that make bad choices. In a split second things on scene can change and go bad and a first responder gets hurt or killed. These guys in the river are idiots no doubt but there were good men with training and education performing that rescue. And a wise choice by the chief recognizing his limitations and lack of resources. Waiting for the rescue team that performed the rescue was a good choice.
The outcome thank GOD was good.
Great job fire police and ems proud of you guys. I’m honored to work beside and with the great first responders in this county.
There was a lot of time, knowledge, and money spent on these 2 guys rescue. The least the ungrateful fools could have said was, ” Thank You”,
I would like to express my gratitude for the Fire adept, Emergency crew and their Superiors, as well as The Constable’s Team for a job well done ! I am very appreciative to know their availability should I ever need them.
THANK-YOU! THANK-YOU! THANK- YOU!
Voiceofone: you picked a great log on name. I doubt you could find more than one who does not think this guys actions were stupid. Because first responders commit themselves to a job that could end in their death to protect us, should not be interpreted to mean that we should have no regard or value for their lives.
Mr. Hoover’s actions were stupid. His attitude in having no regard for the safety of those sent to find him are almost as arrogant as your comments regarding 1st responders lives having no value.
You lecture people here about being demonic for calling this guy stupid. You probably say worse when someone pulls out in front of you on the road. Your Parole officer would be very disappointed in you today.
And hats off to the fire chief for looking at all the available options to locate this idiot while doing everything possible to minimize the risk to his troops! That’s public safety leadership. Don’t put people’s lives in harms way just so some selfish jack wagon doesn’t have to leave his kayak behind and walk through some brush!
What kind of loser calls a teenager and ask that teen to risk his life to find this losers boat.
Not only is the loser risking the lives of 1st responders. The slob is pulling a limited resource that takes time to deploy. That means they can’t help true victims who need help.
The Sheriff’s office responded to the same type of call today. They with others located the idiots on the boat, took them to a safe place and issued them all the water safety tickets they could find.
I’m surprised that the constable risked his troops to find this idiot and took no action to discourage this fool from doing the same thing again.
The least that someone should have done was make him take a shower, shave and give him a haircut and explain to him what getting a job is!
I could be hitting way out in left field on this….but judging by his appearance he kinda looks like he was trying out for the hit tv show “SWAMP PEOPLE”
The scary thing to think about is there’s actually a woman (or something somewhat resembling one in a remote and obscure fashion) that would have no problems kissing on that river roach.
If they can’t afford to make a donation, they should have to wash fire trucks and police cars as a way of repaying the people who rescued their stupid a$$es! Community Service!
Here is a sterling example of why some of our young people turn out the way they do.
What is apparently needed (and I’m surprised that it doesn’t already exist here) is a legal mechanism similar to what Colorado avalanche first-responders have. If, in the considered opinion of the local sheriff, the avalanche victims were the cause of their own troubles (i.e skiing out-of-bounds, failing to wear an avalanche beacon, etc.), he can back-charge the victims as he sees fit. Perhaps slapping this idiot with a 4 to 5 figure bill would help civilize his tone.
As I read the article, I was fully expecting the Constables to slap cuffs onto the ingrate once they had the situation in hand. One could make a case for endangerment of a peace officer with the fool’s commentary. They could also have charged him with filing a false 911 report after his second phone call.
That is all.
I see how you guys are. So NOW it’s acceptable to dog pile on a couple of soaked idiots for getting into the water and doing something absolutely stupid but NOT dog pile on the clown sleeping on the railroad tracks or the drunk cop killing his passenger on the motorcycle. Looks like one kind of stupid is tolerated more than another kind of stupid. Where’s all the think about the family and the children pleas for comment moderation?
Oh no no no you can’t call them names. Why according to conroe911 and numerous others that’s what first responders get PAID (and very well according to some) to do and to call someone who ignores warnings stupid is downright demonic. They even said emphatically that they gladly give their lives to save these wretched souls from their poor decisions and in the end they are PEOPLE ( People!) and that’s all that matters. Hypocrites abound.
They should have left his ungrateful butt to fend for himself and make his way by land thru the dang brush. Absolutely ridiculous, what the hell was he doing getting in that river right now anyway, and to put the lives of emergency personnel at risk due to his ignorance and carelessness is completely unacceptable. Moron.
What a total jerk AND dumb###…first responders are there to help in emergency situations not due to lack of someone being a FOOL….I AGREE HE SHOULD HAVE TO MAKE A GOOD DONATION FOR THEIR SERVICES….
Ok, so the authorities are saying stay out of San Jacinto, and he gets in there for what? He loses that boat and goes to get a teenager to help because? He calls for help and then refuses it because he doesn’t like it? It’s people like this that put our first responders at risk?
They should have to pay the equipment and manpower cost when it is self inflicted disregard of all official warnings. Maybe then they might engage the brain God have them.