A Portland man hailed by authorities as a good Samaritan after he pulled a drowning boy from Detroit Lake on Saturday almost wishes he hadn't.
"I didn't know they would be printing my name as a hero. I just thought I was doing what everyone should do," said Eric Hemenway, 33. "Now I'm going to go to jail because I saved some kid's life."
As Marion County sheriff's deputies drove through 90-degree heat to the popular swimming spot east of Salem, the rescue seemed like a common summer story.
A 15-year-old Portland boy, Jason Nguyen,
. A man nearby swam down and pulled up the boy, by then unconscious.
Nguyen was flown to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center,
.
Deputies tried to piece together the rescue for the sheriff's spokesman, Don Thomson. They identified a woman who helped on the shore, Tawnya Roozeboom, 33, of Salem. Later they learned that an off-duty Salem police officer, Sanford Groat, helped bring the boy back to shore.
Deputies also interviewed the man who first reached Nguyen.
Last name?
Hemengway.
First?
Craig.
Age?
33.
And that was that.
Until a proud grandmother in California read the story and e-mailed The Oregonian, asking for a correction on the rescuer's name.
Her e-mail Monday reads, in part:
"It was my grandson Eric Hemenway who saw Nguyen almost drown in the lake. ... Craig is my son and lives in Madera, CA. ... I am very proud of my grandson Eric and would like to see him get the credit he is due."
Sheriff's spokesman Thomson checked whether a deputy made a mistake. "Nope, he spelled it," the deputy told him.
Thomson dug deeper. "I thought, 'Let's take it with no g and run it through DMV,' and we found him," he said Thursday. He tracked down a photo of Hemenway, and the deputy said, "That's the guy."
Then Thomson learned something Hemenway hadn't mentioned: He has warrants out for his arrest from Washington County.
Hemenway's legal difficulties started in 2005, when he was arrested on suspicion of driving drunk in Aloha. He was convicted on two counts: failure to perform the duties of a driver and driving under the influence of intoxicants.
He completed a diversion program, but warrants were issued after he failed to fully pay court fees and fines. Recently, the court filed paperwork extending Hemenway's probation because he hadn't paid.
Hemenway, who said he is unemployed and does "whatever I can do to get by," has paid about $4,000 of the approximately $10,000 he owes.
He said his fiancee, Brandi, is expecting a baby girl in early September. He's been trying to save whatever he earns for the new arrival, his 1 1/2-year-old daughter and Brandi's two girls, ages 7 and 9, from a previous relationship.
The experience of saving a life has made Hemenway consider training to be an emergency medical technician, he said.
"The water was deep, and he (Nguyen) was on his way to the bottom, sinking fast," he said. "All I saw was his hand. I grabbed his hand and pulled him up.
"It felt overwhelmingly good."
Thomson called Hemenway Thursday and urged him to turn himself. He sees the lake rescue as an opportunity for Hemenway to start taking control of his life.
"You've got one child on the way and another one already," Thomson told him. "They need a role model; they don't need a guy that's running all the time.
"You need to just put your man pants on and just own it."
Hemenway said he called his grandmother Tuesday night and told her he was sorry he had lied to police. "I didn't want her to read about it in the newspaper," he said.
But he fears coming forward, in case they throw him in jail.
“I don't want to miss my daughter’s birth,” he said.
His probation officer, Carol Hovdey, said a stay of several weeks is possible, depending on court proceedings and jail crowding.
"He could be done in two days or might miss his baby's birth," she said.
Hovdey urged Hemenway to call her.
"He can't run from this," she said. "He did a good thing, so don't overshadow it by a bad thing."
And Thomson said no matter Hemenway's past, he did the right thing last Saturday.
"We're still going to give him a lifesaver award," he said.
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