Leader Staff
Occupants of a pontoon boat helped Shawano police officers capture a suspect who tried to swim away following a chase in the city Friday night.
In a statement issued Saturday morning, Police Chief Mark Kohl commended the residents for their help in taking Daniel J. Boivin, of Shawano, into custody. He potentially faces charges of OWI - second offense, fleeing an officer, resisting arrest, possession of drug paraphernalia. He also had outstanding warrants.
According to Kohl's statement, Boivin’s vehicle was observed traveling north on Main Street with a burned out headlamp about 11:10 p.m. Friday. When a police officer attempted to stop the vehicle with emergency lights and siren, Boivin allegedly accelerated and attempted to flee. After a brief pursuit, the driver jumped from the vehicle at the dead end of River Heights, ran into the Wolf River and swam away from shore in an attempt to elude police.
Officers set up a perimeter and, with the assistance of the people on a personal pontoon boat and the Shawano Fire Department, Boivin was apprehended. He was taken to Shawano Medical Center for medical clearance before being incarcerated at the Shawano County jail.
“Without the assistance of the occupants on the pontoon boat in helping maintain a visual contact with the suspect, the outcome could have been different,” Kohl said. "With the water current as it was, the suspect's repeated attempts to refuse rescue, and his intoxicated state, we’re happy it ended safely."