A Maine police officer who was injured during a water rescue on the Saco River during Memorial Day weekend has died.
Fryeburg police announced Officer Nathan M. Desjardins died on Tuesday at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. He was 20.
It was Desjardins' first day of training on May 28 when he and fellow officer Dale Stout, 51, were in a police boat attempting to find a woman who fell out of a canoe when the officers' boat hit an object near the shore while coming around a corner of the river, causing them to both be ejected.
Stout had serious injuries, but was in stable condition. The body of the missing woman, 38-year-old Jennifer Bousquet of South Berwick, was recovered days later.
"In the course of a police officer's responsibilities, they expose themselves to very real risks and dangers every day. Members of the Fryeburg Police Department are deeply saddened by the tragic death of our colleague. We offer our deepest and most heartfelt condolences to the family, fellow colleagues and friends of Nathan," Police Chief Joshua Potvin said.
