Police solve mystery of abandoned ice fishing gear: ‘I was just thankful he was alive’

Napoleon Township Police

Napoleon Township Police Department cruiser.

NAPOLEON TWP., MI – The mystery of who left ice fishing gear by a hole in a Napoleon Township lake has been solved.

Two 14-year-old boys went ice fishing Thursday, Jan. 7, at a spot their dad told them not to go, when they then fell through the ice into Mellencamp Lake, Napoleon Township Police Chief Duaine Pittman said.

They were able to safely get out of the lake.

Police seek answers after ice fishing gear found near open hole goes unclaimed, no missing person reported

Most of the teenagers’ gear fell into the lake, and they told their dad there was nothing to recover, Pittman said. They also told their dad they were in a different location than they actually were.

“The kids were in an area they weren’t supposed to be, so they didn’t exactly tell their dad the right information,” Pittman said.

Mellencamp Lake is a popular ice fishing spot when the ice is safe, Pittman said. The lake was erroneously reported as Little Wolf Lake in a previous article. The lakes in the north east side of the township are connected but separated by Wolf Lake Road.

Police were called Saturday, Jan. 9, to Mellencamp Lake because there was some fishing gear left near a hole. There were signs that someone may have fallen into the lake and got out, Pittman said previously.

About an inch and a half of ice had refrozen over the hole, Pittman said. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team and the Napoleon Township Fire Department checked under the ice for a body but did not find anything. They did recover some ice fishing gear.

Police checked door-to-door Saturday to see if anyone had seen anything or had a missing person to report, but there were no missing persons from the area.

The dad saw social media reports about ice fishing gear being found and got in contact with the Napoleon Township police.

The gear was returned Monday, Jan. 11. Police also had a discussion with the boy about the importance of being truthful and listening to parents, Pittman said.

“If you could have seen the look on these kids’ faces when the dad brought them in, they were scared to death,” Pittman said. “I think the dad wanted me to be harder than I was, but I was just thankful he was alive.”

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