MARCH 11 Riverton man arrested after driving truck into lake

RIVERTON (WNE) — A Riverton man was arrested Saturday after driving his truck into Ocean Lake.

Jeremy Hernandez, 47, of Riverton, was treated for exposure before being arrested for driving under the influence as a result of the incident, which he reported at about 11:35 p.m. Saturday.

Hernandez is a member of the Fremont County School District 25 school board in Riverton.

Officials said Hernandez made the call from the cab of his truck, which had broken through the ice on Ocean Lake and was partially submerged in about 4 feet of water.

"He told our dispatcher there was water coming into the cab," undersheriff Mike Hutchison said Wednesday.

They finally found Hernandez's vehicle on the north side of Ocean Lake near a wildlife habitat area the Wyoming Game and Fish Department manages.

Hutchison said members of the search and rescue crew began putting on their cold-water immersion suits so they could enter the water and help Hernandez get out of his truck. But before they got into the water, he said Hernandez managed to exit the vehicle on his own.

"(He) came across the ice to them," Hutchison said, adding, "He was only maybe 50-75 yards from the shore."

Hernandez was extremely cold and was wearing wet clothing, Hutchison said, and he received medical treatment for exposure before being arrested for DUI.

Hutchison said Hernandez later hired a tow company to pull the Ford F250 pickup truck out of the lake.

Hernandez was elected to the Riverton school board in November 2018.