Minnesota Conservation Officer Thrown Off Boat, Dies

PINE CITY, Minn. (AP) — Authorities say a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources conservation officer died after being thrown from a boat while responding to a call about a possible body in a lake near Pine City.

The officer has been identified as Eugene Wynn. He'd been a conservation officer since 2001.

Wynn was responding with Pine County Sheriff's deputies Friday night to a report from anglers that there might be a body in Cross Lake. The sheriff's office says Wynn and a deputy were thrown from their boat within a minute of launching into the lake.

Authorities say rescuers were able to reach the deputy but Wynn slipped beneath the surface of the lake before he could be reached.

The sheriff's office says they have not found the object that prompted the initial call.

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