River patrols begin

Published 12:00 am Sunday, May 17, 2009

NATCHEZ — As the Mississippi River creeps upward, enterprising criminals have been known take to the water to burglarize unattended hunting and fishing camps.

But the thieves are not alone, and Saturday afternoon the Adams County Sheriff’s Office had its first of several upcoming river patrols.

“It’s just now getting high enough for us to get out there and start checking things out,” deputy Charles Feltus said as he prepared his boat for launch in Vidalia. “Hopefully it’ll be quiet out there. We haven’t had any calls or complaints so far.”

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Saturday’s patrol took three deputies and one member of the Adams County Search and Rescue team up the Mississippi through Old River to the Giles Island hunting camp.

While Saturday’s patrol yielded no arrests, Feltus said it’s still beneficial for the sheriff’s office to maintain a presence in the flooded areas.

“We’ll be out here a lot more in the future,” he said.

Heading north from Vidalia, the swollen river was full of enormous logs and limbs picked up in the floodwaters.

On Old River, while most homes and camps are still above the water, several have succumbed to the rising river.

More than one structure on the river was submerged up to its roof.

At Giles Island deputies boated into the camp on what used to be a road.

It’s now under 16 feet of water.

“This would be like Christmas for (a thief),” Deputy Stephen Guido said, while patrolling the island and surveying the equipment. “They can just load up and take off.”

But Giles Island is not totally unattended.

Grounds keeper Ned Saucier was napping on the couch when deputies arrived.

“It’s been very quiet,” Saucier said.

Saucier has been at the camp for the past month keeping an eye on the place.

Saucier said high water took out the camp’s electricity just before deputies arrived.

And the river is not done rising.

On Saturday it was at 50.97 feet, and by today it will be at 51.20 feet. And as long as the river floods, the ACSO will be patrolling its waters.

“We’re just getting started,” Guido said.

The river is expected to crest at 53 feet on May 25.