How Idiotic

[Willy]

Not the boys but the police

Two Ludington boys, one 14-year-old and one 13-year-old, may face fines after jumping into the 43-degree waters of Pere Marquette Lake on Thursday.

Ludington police received a call about the boys jumping off of the seawall at Waterfront Park into the lake at 3:55 p.m. Officers located the boys near the south gazebo in the park and drove them home.

Were they adults, they would have been ticketed for swimming outside of the designated swim area, a violation of a city ordinance. The ticket carries at $235 fine. Because they are younger than 17, they are being petitioned to juvenile court for the ordinance violation.

The boys told the responding officers that they were jumping into the lake “for fun.”

Ludington Police Captain Mike Harrie said the area is not a designated swim area even in the summer and people would be fined regardless of the water temperature. He said the boys jumped into the 40-degree water repeatedly.

“They could still end up in a hypothermic state within a half hour,” Harrie said. “It was definitely a dangerous situation and I don’t think the kids understood the ramifications of what they were doing.”

He said the charity Lake Jump has qualified medical personnel on standby and takes place in a designated swimming area. Organizers also pushed the event back twice for ice and cold water temps this year.

http://www.shorelinemedia.net/ludington_daily_news/news/local/artic...

[Dave]

Yup, that was actually the incident I was referencing.. lol... I use to live down in that part of the state and one of my Facebook friends posted about the accident the day it happened.

[XLFD]

OK, there's new rules in place for those who wish to participate in 'cold water challenges'.  Don't worry those two boys in this thread will go through juvey and be heavily fined for jumping off the seawall if the past is any indication.  Chief Barnett says it's all right for this girl below to jump in the cold water in a non-designated swim area (there is no designated swim area on public shores in Ludington this time of year), as long as an adult is present.  Chief, the Fourteenth Amendment is clear:  we have equal justice under law.  If someone has made an arbitrary ruling that what the two boys did was illegal, though they can't exactly cite what was done other than 'swimming in a non-designated area', then what this girl has done is illegal.  If they ain't violating any law, don't cite them; teach them why it may be dangerous

This is Ludington justice, get used to it.  BTW, If you recognize the surname "Irelan" in the following COLDNews article by Patti Klevorn, you may remember Joe Irelan's sweetheart deal from the City.  Just in case you're like me and see some favoritism going on here.

Cold Water Challenge OK in designated swim areas with adults nearby

"Just as Ludington Lake Jump is approaching (Saturday), a downstate Cold Water Challenge is making its way to the area via Facebook. 

Christine Irelan of Ludington took on the challenge this past weekend, running into a 40-some-degree Lake Michigan at Stearns Park beach.

“My nephew in Tecumseh challenged me,” Irelan said. “It all started for charity. If one of the people you nominate doesn’t do it, they are suppose to donate $100 to a charity of their choice. The water was cold but not as bad as I thought it would be, it was a lot of fun. I am enjoying watching everyone else accept their challenge.”

She in turn challenged some local residents via a video she posted on her Facebook page. 

She ran in the water in a “designated swim area” and a friend/fellow adult with her.

“I couldn’t turn down a challenge from my 10-year-old nephew,” Irelan said. 

Lake Jump, too, has “jumpers” go in from the beach into a designated swim area, and has the site surrounded by medical professionals.

There were a couple of teenagers who reportedly jumped from a seawall last week into Pere Marquette Lake, outside any designated swim areas. They were not with medical professionals or any adults.

Ludington Police petitioned the boys to juvenile court for possible fines as a safety concern.

“If somebody wanted to do that, I would say to go to the designated swim area,” Barnett said. 

Rather than jump in over your head, start from shallow water and walk, or run, in. 

“I would encourage them if they’re going to do that challenge, do it with other people who are over 18 who have the ability to swim, and have a means to warm up right away,” he said.

Ideally, the adult also has CPR/first aid training in case of emergency. 

“We’re not trying to keep people from having a good time, just the opposite,” he said. “The reality is we have had people drown.”

Irelan said she would not jump off a seawall "because you never know how deep it is or if there are rocks. Also you may have trouble getting out of the water. I would only do it in an area where I feel comfortable and can run out quickly."

http://www.shorelinemedia.net/ludington_daily_news/news/local/artic...

[XLFD]

Imagine this:  Two Ludington men may face fines after jumping into the 43-degree waters of the lake on Saturday.

Ludington police received a call about the men jumping into the lake.  Officers located the men near the breakwall and drove them home.

Were they normal adults, they would have been ticketed for swimming outside of a designated swim area, a violation of a city ordinance. The ticket carries at $235 fine. Because they are cops, they are being petitioned to be declared heroes.

The men told the responding officers that they were jumping into the lake “for fun.”

Ludington Police Captain Mike Harrie said the area is not a designated swim area until the summer and normal people would be fined regardless of the water temperature. He said the men jumped into the 40-degree water knowing the law.

“They could still end up in a hypothermic state within a half hour,” Harrie said. “It was definitely a dangerous situation and I don’t think the men understood the ramifications of what they were doing.”

[XLFD]

The Lake Jump is a long standing tradition in the community from the last millennium coming from a nearly original idea from the mind that brought you WMOM.  It's primarily been a private fund raiser for local charities, has involved no public dollars in its running, and I find it hard to find fault with it, other than the craziness involved with running into such waters.

The 5k runs on the other hand have flat $25 entry fees and have generally been ran through the Downtown Development Authority and the Convention and Visitors Bureau (via their room tax).  Profits usually go towards bringing you more fun runs and city-sponsored drinking events.  This is why most of these 'fun' runs have the same clique participating, and why it has become a 'running' joke even at city council meetings.   

[XLFD]

The reporters from the City of Ludington Daily News (COLDNews) and the Mason County Press would have had a hard time containing their innermost desires if these two law enforcement idols of theirs had wore their uniforms.