Search resumes for man missing in Rattlesnake Creek

 Fighting darkness, lightning and rain, dozens of rescue workers from across Highland and surrounding counties searched Rattlesnake Creek for a Washington C.H. man who disappeared into the waters after allegedly going over the East Monroe falls. At approximately 12:45 a.m. the search was called off for the night. 

       Highland County Sheriff Ron Ward told The Highland County Press that the adult male was at the falls Monday evening to swim with approximately five friends. The water levels of the creeks were elevated due to recent rains and full of debris. After he jumped off the falls, Ward said according to witnesses, he surfaced twice but was carried downstream by a strong current.

       "After he went under again, they did not see him resurface. There are three things working against us," Ward said Tuesday morning at approximately 1:15 a.m., "the swift current, the weather and darkness. Darkness set in around 9:30 p.m. and there was a lot of lighting and wind and heavy rains, which is not condusive to for search purposes. We will keep a fire crew on the bridge at Centerfield Road to continue looking through the night."

Ward said it is believed the man is somewhere in the four mile stretch of creek between the falls and the Centerfield Road bridge. Crews were scheduled to reconvene at the Leesburg Fire Department at 8 a.m. for a debriefing. 

"Hopfully we will bring this to a positive conclusion," Ward said. "This is still a rescue effort. He's possibly injured out there somewhere along the creek bank."

       The sheriff's office received the initial call just after 8 p.m. Monday, and it was reported that the man went into the water approximately 25 minutes prior to the call. Ward said that witnesses reported they searched the waters themselves at first, and then had to make their way up from the creek and out of the woods before the call could be made.

       "(Witnesses) expressed their concern about the flow and debris in the creek, but this young man (allegedly) decided to go ahead and jump in," Ward said.

       Emergency crews used the East Monroe United Methodist Church on Monroe Road as a staging area for the search, and the church opened its doors to accommodate the crews and family members of the missing man.

       In addition to the sheriff's office, crews from the Leesburg North Joint Fire and Ambulance District, Leesburg Police Department, Hillsboro Fire and Rescue and a swift water rescue team are assisting in the search. The departments are contacting resources outside the county to access equipment such as additional auxiliary lighting. Crews also used night vision equipment to search the waters.

       "Right now we're concentrating on a six to seven mile span of this creek," Ward said. "We've searched the creek bed, we've searched the sides as much as we can. The water is running very swiftly; I've heard anywhere from six to 10 miles an hour with rapids and so forth, and a lot of debris is in the creek."

       As darkness fell Monday night, the crews were pulled off the creek's banks and stationed at bridges off of Centerfield Road, and at state Route 138 and Rattlesnake Creek to watch the waters. For approximately the first two hours of the search, the rains held off, but around 10:45 p.m., thunderstorms and heavy rains moved into the area.

       "Right now we're hoping that maybe he's found his way to the edge and he's up in one of these woods moving toward a house," Ward said. 

       Ward said it is too early to say if charges will be considered. There appears to be no drugs or alcohol involved, he said.  Although the falls are owned by the state of Ohio, the only way to access the waterway is through private property, he said.

       The area is a common place to swim, according to Ward, and "unfortunately, it is a place that has caused us a lot of grief over the years. We've had several people who have been injured and drowned in this very area."

  This incident occurred just days after two Brown County children were killed in high waters, according to the Brown County Sheriff's Office website. The body of 8-year-old Blake Devercelly was discovered June 10 Smith Landing in Clermont County. The body of his brother, 11-year-old Justin Devercelly was discvcovered June 12 at Meldahl Locks and Dam in Clermont. They had been swept away by waters June 10 while at their babysitter's home, according to the BCSO.
(Highland County Press Sports Editor Stephen Forsha contributed to this story with reports from East Monroe Tuesday.)