Lake County deputies rescue three swimmers missing from bachelor party

The Lake County Sheriff’s Marine Unit rescued three swimmers who went missing from a boat rented for a bachelor party Saturday afternoon near Lake Villa.

The operator of the rental boat carrying several people on Petite Lake flagged down sheriff’s deputies who were on patrol at about 2:50 p.m., according to the sheriff’s office. He said he was an inexperienced boat operator and was looking for three friends who were lost in the water, authorities said.

The deputies located the swimmers about 100 yards away from the boat, showing signs of distress and struggling to stay afloat in the water, the sheriff’s office said.

Before they could slip beneath the surface, deputies told them to grab onto one of the rescue bars on their personal watercrafts. All three were safely returned to the rental boat.

The operator of the rental boat was not operating under the influence, but alcohol was a factor for the swimmers rescued, according to the sheriff’s office.

“We have worked hard over the years to build and strengthen our Marine Unit, and this is exactly why,” Lake County Sheriff John D. Idleburg said in a news release. “Three young adults who had been drinking and were not wearing life jackets could have lost their lives.”