Thread: MI: Fishermen land big one: Man illegally swimming into U.S.

Fishermen land big one: Man illegally swimming into U.S.

July 1, 2011

Steve Pardo/ The Detroit News

Marysville — An Algonac man fishing for walleye on Wednesday ended up getting a bigger catch in the form of a 180-pound Czech who authorities said was trying to enter the country illegally.

Brad Pederson, 26, and a friend were fishing on the St. Clair River near Marysville when they came across a curious sight.

"I saw what I thought was a stump," Pederson said. "But it was a floating backpack. And connected to it was a guy in a Speedo."

There were a couple of proverbial red flags concerning the situation. It was around 11:40 p.m. The water, Pederson said, was 60.8 degrees.

"I live on the water and I swim a lot," he said. "And that is not a swimming temperature."

When questioned, the man, in a thick accent, said he was just swimming. When asked where he was going, the swimmer answered, "the other side."

The fishermen pulled in their lines and circled back around. Pederson grabbed the backpack and brought the swimmer up on the boat. They had already called 911.

"He never gave me a hard time," Pederson said of his catch. "He was pretty polite. He asked me for a towel. I didn't have one."

Members of the Marysville Police and U.S. Border Patrol met the men at the dock. The Coast Guard showed up, too, Pederson said.

The man is a national of the Czech Republic, authorities said.

"This goes to show that the residents in this community play a role in border security," Detroit Sector Chief Patrol Agent Randy Gallegos said in a statement.

Gallegos called Pederson's actions "amazing" and said he should be commended.

The swimmer was arrested for entering the country at a place other than a designated port-of-entry and detained by authorities.

www.detnews.com