Positivity: Owosso officer humble after rescue
Friday, September 26, 2008 10:21 AM EDT
Michael Olsey relishes the fact he gets to protect people from criminals as an Owosso police officer.
But Olsey battled a completely different kind of foe Monday when he raced over to the old armory parking lot at Exchange and Water streets.
Olsey went head-to-head with Mother Nature when he leapt into the rain-swelled Shiawassee River to rescue a 15-year-old girl who had jumped off the bridge on Main Street.
“I could see her struggling,” Olsey said. “She was floating down the river and her head was starting to go under the water.”
He had to pull in behind the Owosso Middle School because the girl was already drifting down stream.
Olsey said he jumped in feet first and waded out to the girl.
Even though he is 6-foot-7, Olsey said the water came up to his chest.
“We’re just grateful we have officers who are willing to do that,” said Mike Compeau, Owosso Public Safety director. “We want them to use good common sense. (The river’s) pretty swift even though it’s chest-deep.”
Olsey said his five years spent as a lifeguard prepared him to keep calm during the incident.
He said the girl hit her head and had scrapes on her feet from going over the dam. She was transported to Memorial Healthcare, where she was treated for minor injuries.
With heavy rains hammering the area as a result of Hurricane Ike, the Shiawassee River is near flood level. Even if the river is not officially at the 7-foot flood level, it still can be dangerous.
Last week 32-year-old Charles M. Orgovan died when he went over the Heritage Park Dam in his kayak. The extreme undertow prevented rescue crews from getting to him sooner.
None of that was on Olsey’s mind Monday.
“I didn’t even think anything of it,” Olsey said. “The way I see it, we’re getting paid to protect people. It doesn’t matter. We protect them from whatever danger they’re in.”
A Clio native, Olsey started his career in law enforcement in Owosso almost three years ago.
Compeau said Olsey is a model officer.
“He’s very humble,” Compeau said. “He said, ‘I don’t need to be recognized for this.’ When he does something outstanding he deserves to be recognized and we’re happy to have him here.”
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