Teenage girl and ODNR officer dead after drowning incident at Rocky Fork State Park

HIGHLAND COUNTY — A teenage girl and an Ohio Department of Natural Resources officer are dead following a drowning incident at Rocky Fork State Park near Hillsboro in Highland County Tuesday night.

The girl, only identified as a 16-year-old died after after falling through the ice and was trapped in the water underneath, according to reports from our news partners at WCPO-TV in Cincinnati.

The ODNR officer, identified as Jason Lagore, suffered a “medical emergency” during the initial phases of the rescue, an ODNR spokesperson said in a media release Wednesday. Lagore was transported to to Highland District Hospital but was pronounced dead, the spokesperson said.

Lagore had responded to the lake around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday on reports that two people fell through the ice near the North Shore boat docks at the state park, the ODNR spokesperson said in the release.

A 13-year-old boy was able to get out of the water and was taken to an area hospital in stable condition.

The body of the 16-year-old girl was recovered by divers hours after she fell through the ice. Her name has not been released.

Lagore had worked for the ODNR for 15 years and was well respected across the state for his work with K-9 officers, the ODNR spokesperson said. He was also responsible for the the first ODNR K-9 academy and led the Division of Parks and Watercraft K-9 training program.

“Our hearts are with the family and loved ones of Officer Jason Lagore, who died in the line of duty last night,” Ohio Department of Natural Resources Director Mary Mertz said. “Our law enforcement officers and their families carry a unique and challenging burden of responsibilities, and we are deeply grateful for their service.”

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine ordered flags to be flown at half-staff at public buildings in Highland County and others in Columbus in honor of Lagore’s life until the day of his funeral. The order runs concurrently with Tuesday’s order for flags to be flown at half-staff to remember the 500,000 Americans who have died due to COVID-19.

We’ll update this story as we learn more.

Cox Media Group