Man Drowns in Sauk River Sunday

WAKEFIELD TOWNSHIP (WJON News) - Stearns County Officials responded to a drowning Sunday.

At about 1:45, a 9-1-1 call reported a man in the Sauk River near the 16000 block of County Road 49 in Wakefield Township. Reports claimed the man was 30-40 feet from the shore.

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The Cold Spring Fire Department used its rescue boat to recover 69-year-old Lee Ellwein.

Officials tried to revive Ellwein, but were unsuccessful.

It’s thought Ellwein went into the water to get a boat lift cover that had blown off due to high winds and was in the water for more than 15 minutes before being recovered. The water temperature at the time was 53.2 degrees.