MISSOULA – The Ravalli County Sheriff’s Office has released new details about an incident on the Clark Fork River in Missoula that left a teenager dead by drowning on Monday.
Ravalli County Sheriff Steve Holton says the 17-year-old male, who was from Sanders County, was underwater for about an hour and ten minutes before he was recovered by rescue crews.
Holton says the swift current and cold water likely contributed to the drowning.
The male, who was a suspect in a stolen vehicle case, jumped into the river after police initiated a traffic stop.
Three other teens in the vehicle were detained but later released.
The name of the male is not being released because he is a juvenile.
The incident remains under investigation.
