Ramsey County man arrested after boating incident leads to death of another
Jun. 13—A Maplewood man was arrested after another man died while they were boating on Big Sandy Lake on Friday night.
McGregor Fire Department and Aitkin County Sheriff's deputies responded to a call of a man overboard on Big Sandy Lake near Hillcrest Resort around 11:40 p.m. Friday. According to a news release, deputies launched into the lake and made contact with a group of men on a pontoon boat.
According to authorities, the men on the boat told deputies that Nathen Norman Waldo, 34, of North Branch, Minnesota, had fallen off the front of the boat as it was moving forward. Witnesses told police that Waldo was swept underneath the boat as it continued forward and believed that Waldo was struck by the motor.
A search was conducted in the water as well as on the shoreline, but the deputies and firefighters were unsuccessful in locating the missing man Friday night. According to a news release, St. Louis County Search and Rescue joined the search Saturday and found Walo's body in about 30 feet of water late Saturday afternoon.
The driver of the boat, a 34-year-old Maplewood man, was arrested on charges of boating while intoxicated. The Aitkin County Attorney's Office will review the case to determine if there is probable cause to add a charge of criminal vehicular operation, a news release said.
The Maplewood man remains in the Aitkin County Jail pending arraignment. The News Tribune generally does not identify suspects until they have been formally charged.
