A man recently was fishing at the Oconee River Greenway when he noticed a kayak upside down in the water, with no one else in sight.
He called 911, and first responders arrived en masse, including the Milledgeville Fire Department rescue boat, and the search was on. Even a drone was deployed.
At some point during the search, a woman pulled up in a car and struck up a conversation with a Milledgeville Police Department officer. The woman, Rachel Harrison, said that the kayak belonged to her and that the incident happened hours ago," according to the incident report.
"Harrison stated she saw all the police cars and fire trucks and came to see if personnel were looking for her," the report added.
Harrison relayed to officers that she'd been fishing north of the Greenway when her kayak turned over. She "stated she made her way to the bank and contacted her father to pick her up."
Harrison said was wearing a lifejacket at the time.
The overturned kayak initially was spotted in the rocky area of the river near the old powerhouse. The kayak was retrieved, and first responders began packing up, able to breathe a sigh of relief.
The incident occurred around dusk on July 13, which followed a really action-packed Fourth of July at the river, one that included numerous overturned kayaks and floats.