Morrison County Sheriff’s Office
February 28, 2022
The Morrison County Sheriff’s Office reports that on 2-25-2022 at approximately 9:16 am, their office received a report of a subject that was snowshoeing and went through the ice on the Mississippi River approximately nine miles north of Little Falls, MN in Ripley Township.
According to Sheriff’s Office, 58-year-old Catherine Stoch of Fort Ripley, MN was snowshoeing on the Mississippi River when she fell through the ice up to her knees. She was able to get back up on the ice and make it to an island where she called 9-1-1. Morrison County Deputies along with MN DNR Officers were able to rescue Stoch and get her back to shore where she was treated by medical personnel.
Sheriff Shawn Larsen credits Stoch for providing detailed information about her location to the 9-1-1 dispatchers. Stoch recognized the fact that she needed to stay focused and remain calm until she could be rescued. She was prepared and had her cellphone with, which helped with the coordinated rescue effort.
Larsen states that he is proud of the coordinated effort amongst the agencies involved. Because of the swift actions taken by Stock, 9-1-1 dispatchers and rescue personnel, this incident had a successful ending.
The Morrison County Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by the Minnesota DNR and Mayo Clinic Ambulance.