REST IN PEACE Deputy Rancourt / PSD Fatality in Maine

[BladesRobinson]

As posted on: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SAR-Diver

Androscoggin deputy dies on dive mission


AUBURN, ME - A member of the Androscoggin County dive team died Saturday morning.
Deputy David Rancourt, 40, of Leeds, had just gone underwater when he resurfaced signaling he needed help. Crews performed CPR but it was too late. He died a short time later at Central Maine Medical Center.

Rancourt, along with other members of the dive team, was in the Androscoggin River near the Veteran's Bridge looking for evidence in a criminal investigation.

Capt. Raymond LaFrance, of the Sheriff's Department, said Rancourt had served two tours of duty in Iraq and had just retired from the Army Reserves last week.

An investigation is under way into what caused Rancourt's death.

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Sheriff's Department Diver Dies In Auburn

A Deputy with the Androscoggin County Sheriff's Department dive team has died on the job. Deputy David Rancourt, age 40, was helping to search for items involved in a criminal investigation in the Androscoggin River.

It's clear the Androsoggin County Sheriff's Department is really broken up. Deputy Rancourt had been with the department for 10 years and with the dive team for five.

The Sheriff's Department says he had just gone underwater for a dive near the third bridge between Auburn and Lewiston around 10:00 AM, when he popped up out of the water and asked for help.

Other divers helped him out of the water and administered CPR.

Rancourt was pronounced dead at Central Maine Medical Center.

Rancourt was a two time Iraq War veteran, a husband and a father to an eight-year-old boy.

The sheriff's department has brought in counselors to help everyone deal with what happened.

 

[Gary D.]

Prayers sent.

Gary D.

 

[ReefGuy]

I hate to see things like this. My thoughts are with the family.

 

[Jcsgt]

Please convey my sincerest prayers and condolences. That's awful, so sad.

 

[PWCPD Diver]

This is on www.odmp.org as well. His wife is expecting also. My condolences go out to his family and department.

Brian

 

[BladesRobinson]

Deputy dies in river tragedy

By Lindsay Tice and Justin Pelletier - Staff Writers
Sunday, November 5, 2006

AUBURN, MAINE - Deputy David Rancourt, head of the Androscoggin County Sheriff's dive team, died Saturday morning while diving for evidence off the Veterans Bridge.

The dive, around 10 a.m., was part of a joint operation with the Sheriff's Department and the Auburn Police Department. Officials refused to say what case they were investigating, or what the divers were seeking.

Rancourt, 40, was one of six divers searching the Androscoggin River. He was in cardiac arrest when members of his dive team took him from the water, according to a Sheriff's Department news release Saturday night.

"He signaled that he needed some assistance," Sheriff's Capt. Ray LaFrance said during a news conference a few hours earlier. "They pulled him into the boat and started CPR."

Rancourt was pronounced dead at Central Maine Medical Center.

The Maine Warden's Service is investigating, and the sheriff's department is conducting its own internal inquiry. Officials refused to speculate whether Rancourt died from natural causes, an accident or something else.

Rancourt served with the Sheriff's Department for 10 years and was a rescue diver for five.

He was also a member of the Army Reserve's 619th Transportation Company and served two tours in Iraq, one in each of the conflicts in the last 15 years. He returned from his most recent tour within the last year. He could have come home sooner, but he remained behind to help the troops who stayed to deal with equipment.

"As a leader, he chose to stay," his wife, Dawn, told the Sun Journal in 2005. "That's the kind of person he is."

Rancourt retired from the Army a week ago, LaFrance said.

A popular member of the Sheriff's Department, Rancourt's death rocked the close-knit police community.

"We're a small, family department," LaFrance said. "Right now we're all grieving. Including myself."

All sheriff's deputies were pulled from patrol duty Saturday, and counselors met with the divers, deputies and officers who were at the bridge during the incident. Auburn, Lewiston and state police officers planned to take over patrols through today, though all emergency calls will be handled normally.

Counseling will continue for any police officer who needs it.

"He was a very dedicated individual. Dedicated to his country, dedicated to the department. He was a very good officer. One of the best," LaFrance said as he welled up with tears. "He was also a personal friend of mine, and I'll miss him dearly."

Rancourt lived in Leeds with his wife and 8-year-old son. His wife, a former member of the Lewiston Police Department, is pregnant with their second child, friends said.

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Sheriff's Deputy Remembered For Smile, Dedication To Country
Web Editor: Caroline Cornish, Reporter
Last Updated: 11/5/2006 7:50 PM


Androscoggin County sheriff's deputy Dave Rancourt is being remembered for his dedication to his country and to his family.

Rancourt was also a member of the Sheriff's Dive Team and died Saturday while diving for evidence in the Androscoggin River. The medical examiner's office is expected to release his cause of death Monday.

Rancourt's friends and family say he always had a smile on his face and loved helping people, whether it was in his tours during both Iraq wars, or while on duty with the Androscoggin County Sheriff's Department. He loved hunting and fishing.

He was also very close with his 7-year old son Jeremy, and he was looking forward to getting to know a second child. His wife, Dawn, is 8 weeks pregnant.

Rancourt's brother in law, Charlie Fontaine said, "Dave was our hero, had many friends, had no enemies. If everybody used Dave as a model, this would be a much better place to live in."

 

[BladesRobinson]

From the SunJournal webpage...

Friends,officers mourn deputy
Monday, November 6, 2006
By Mark LaFlamme

AUBURN, MAINE - A day after an Androscoggin County Sheriff's deputy died while diving for evidence in the Androscoggin River, friends, colleagues and family members were gathering to make funeral arrangements.

There was no official cause Sunday for the death of 40-year-old David Rancourt. The deputy died Saturday morning while diving with five others on the Auburn side of the Androscoggin River. Rancourt had headed up the Sheriff's Department dive team. He was pulled from the water by other divers after signaling them for assistance, police said.

A husband and father, Rancourt was pronounced dead at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston shortly after arrival Saturday.

During the weekend, several people described Rancourt as a devoted family man and a dedicated police officer. He was the kind of man, they said, that nobody could say a bad word about.

Several of Rancourt's fellow officers were working with his family over the weekend to make plans for a memorial service.

Rancourt was married to Dawn Rancourt, a former Lewiston police corporal now employed by the 911 communication center. He was also a member of the Army Reserve's 619th Transportation Company and served two tours in Iraq.

A makeshift shrine in Rancourt's honor was put up on a bridge barrier over the spot on the river where he was stricken. It included a small U.S. flag and flowers.

 

[Yotsie]

Rest in Peace brother.

My thoughts are with those left behind.

 

[Greg D.]

Truly a great loss for the community and his family, prayers sent and more on the way...

 

[vablackwater]

My prayers for Deputy Rancourt and for his family and friends, may God help them find peace.