1. Start every morning off right!
Call 580-221-6528
Get a
year subscription
to
75¢ 121st YEAR — NO. 202 friday, June 19, 2015 ARDMORE, OKLAHOMA
SINCE
1893
42 PAGES
your news,
Page 3A
Classified 5B
Comics 4B
Digest 4A
Lifestyles 5A
Markets 6A
Obituaries 2A
Sports 11A
Weather 2A
index
n Poll question:
What entertainment
feature would you most
like to see as part of the
Ardmore Regional Park
entertainment system?
n Entertainment:
The latest celebrity
and show business
stories
n Email newsletter:
Sign up for our
newsletter and get
the top area head-
lines delivered right
to your inbox
five fun
things to do
this weekend
in your area
Digest, Page 4a markets, Page 6a
utah school creates
‘texting lane’ for walkers
stocks rise sharply on fed
relief, nasdaq sets record
Sports,
Page 13A
Mickelson
seeks career
grand slam
only Online
For first time in
three years, Romo
a full participant
Sports, page 11A
lone grove
Firefighter risks life to rescue stranded woman
By Kati Walker
kati.walker@ardmoreite.com
Driving through heavy rain in the dark is
scary enough, but panic and terror quickly
follow when these conditions are combined
with swift-current flood waters sweeping
cars off the road like a bulldozer moving a
go-kart.
This was the case Wednesday night after
Tropical Depression Bill swept through Carter
County leaving several people stranded and in
need of rescue. One of those rescues occurred
south of Lone Grove when a small car with a
woman driver was swept 200
yards off Newport Road.
“She got into high water
and she floated down the
road,” said Stacey Pheles,
Lone Grove Fire Department
Chief.
Pheles was unable to get
to the rescue, so Greg Allen,
Lone Grove firefighter, answered the call.
“I pulled up beside her and tried to open
the door,” Allen said.
However, the flood waters had already risen
so high that had he opened his door the wa-
ters would have caved it in. Allen proceeded
to climb out the window of the truck and onto
the roof. He said he could see she wasn’t 10
feet away.
“I think he realized how bad it was, to the
point of no return,” said Ian O’Neal, Lone
Grove City Manager. “I heard him radio out
that he could see her and I knew at that point
he wasn’t going to stop, he was going to keep
going.”
Allen almost lost the rescue and his own life
when he jumped in the water to try to get to
her and was swept away himself.
city of ardmore
Mayor: State of emergencyBy Michael Pineda
michael.pineda@ardmoreite.com
Mayor John Moore wast-
ed little time in setting the
wheels of recovery in motion,
declaring a state of emer-
gency in Ardmore Thursday
morning.
The decla-
ration stated
the flooding
had caused
one fatal-
ity and un-
known in-
juries with
considerable
damage.The
proclamation will expire after
seven days unless extended
by Moore.
“I think this is something
we need,” Moore said. “A lot
of people have been hurt by
the devastation. It is unbe-
lievable that it happened here
in Ardmore. It is different for
us, but we are going to have
to pull together as a com-
munity to get our lives back
to normal as quickly as pos-
sible. And my heart goes out
to the family who lost their
loved one.”
Moore said he was shocked
by the amount of rain that
fell on Ardmore Wednesday.
Driving throughout the city,
it really hit home for him.
“When I saw the water
moving all over, I realized it
was not like a couple of weeks
ago. There was just too much
rain. One thing about it is
we now know we have some
areas we need to work on so
By Marsha Miller
marsha.miller@ardmoreite.com
The body of a 2-year-old toddler, swept away in
Hickory Creek during a flash flood near Myall Road
and Country Wood Drive Wednes-
day night, was recovered Thursday
afternoon.
Capt. Eric Hamblin, Ardmore Po-
lice Department public information
officer, officially confirmed Jeremiah
Mayer was located about 2:40 p.m.
“He was found by ground search-
ers,” Hamblin said. “He was in de-
bris in the water,” adding although
an immediate search was launched
Wednesday night, efforts were hampered by heavy
rain and the deep swift-moving water. “The water
was 15 to 20 feet high when he went missing.”
Hamblin described the minutes after arriving
on the scene about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and the
unsuccessful initial attempt to rescue the toddler’s
father, Devon, who had become stranded by the swift
moving water as he tried to escape the flood with his
son, who had been swept from his arms. Hamblin,
APD Officer Matt Miller and Carter County Deputy
Kenny Mashore made an unsuccessful attempt to
reach the stranded man.
“Then Ardmore Fire Department arrived. I have
never been so glad to see the AFD as I was then,”
Hamblin said, confirming firefighters were able to
rescue the father and prevent what would have been
a double tragedy.
Pounding rain continued and darkness descended
as the search for the toddler continued. By 10 p.m.
APD Chief Ken Grace discontinued search due to the
severe conditions, calling the effort “too dangerous.”
He ordered the hunt resumed at 7 a.m. Thursday.
Toddler’s body
recovered Thursday
inside
C
M
Y
K
See rescue, Page 9A
See emergency, Page 9A
See toddler, Page 9A
Jeremiah
Mayer
Mayor John
Moore
Find us Online...
The Ardmoreite
@Ardmoreite
Drivers attempt to navigate flooded streets near the I-35 in-
tersection at Broadway Street, Wednesday. Photo submitted
Bill’s remnants flood state
along path to US midsection
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The rem-
nants of a tropical storm that moved in from
the Gulf of Mexico this week focused most of
its fury Thursday on Oklahoma and Arkan-
sas, pushing rivers to record-high levels and
causing flooding as it crawled northward
through the nation’s midsection.
There have been no reported injuries
caused by the storm, which came ashore
A section of Interstate 35 at the 50 mile
marker is closed because of a rock slide
on Thursday, in Davis. The Associated Press
Floods claim second victim
By Michael Pineda
michael.pineda@ardmoreite.com
As the search for a missing two-
year-old held the state’s attention, an-
other search at Hickory Creek off of
Countyline Road took place. Thursday
afternoon. Members of the Criner Hills
Volunteer Fire Department discovered
the body of John Harrison.
Harrison’s body was discovered
about 100 yards from the spot near
Rock Crossing Bridge. Harrison had
traveled to Ardmore to check on his
mother Wednesday evening, accord-
ing to Sheriff Milton Anthony. While
returning to his home in Overbrook,
his Toyota pick-up was swept away in
a current that rose over the bridge and
through a neighboring wheat field.
“We got a call at 3:01 p.m. today re-
garding a deceased person,” Anthony
said. “The body of Mr. Harrison was
Carter County Deputies and members of the Southern Oklahoma Ambulance
Service begin a trek down Hickory Creek to recover the body of John Har-
rison. The Overbrook man was swept away by a strong current into the over-
flowing creek Wednesday night. Michael Pineda/The Ardmoreite
overbrook
See victim, Page 9A
See bill, Page 9A
Greg Allen
2401 12th Ave. NW • Suite 104A • Ardmore
(580) 223-2040 • www.shopallaboutbacks.com
All About Backs Mattresses & More