Jerry Allen Steele attempted to save Rebecca S. Spears from drowning, Vandalia, Ohio, August 1, 1979. In a rainstorm, Rebecca, 11, took refuge in a culvert carrying Poplar Creek under a highway. As the water rose, Rebecca, who could not swim, was forced to cling to the side of the culvert. Police threw her a rope, but she lost her hold and was swept away by the swift current in the flooded creek. Steele, 33, environmental patrol officer, jumped into the deep water but did not reach Rebecca. He got out of the creek and ran along the bank. Seeing Rebecca being swept along in the current, Steele reentered the water. Failing to reach Rebecca, he grasped a limb of an overhanging tree at the bank and got out. Rebecca drowned. 57731-6536
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