Car driven into lake investigated

Clear Lake police are continuing to investigate an early morning report of a car in Clear Lake Saturday.

At 3:29 a.m. Saturday, Clear Lake police received a call reporting a car had gone in to the lake at the 5th Avenue North public access.  Officer Eric Hythecker, who was the first officer on the scene, could not see if 

there were occupants in the car, but noted the vehicle’s lights and windshield wipers were operating.  He shed his gun belt and went into the water.  After making entry into the car, which was mostly submerged  he determined that it was unoccupied. 

The vehicle came to a stop approximately 150-feet from the shore. 

Clear Lake firefighters and ambulance attendants responded to the scene and requested those at the police station work to determine the owner, or driver of the vehicle to assure that there was no missing person in the water.  A short time late, at 4:08 a.m., 43-year-old Bradly Moorehead, of Mason City, walked into the CLPD to report that he had driven his car into the lake. 

Moorehead stated that he was doing something on his phone and had been distracted from watching the road. 

Officers called for a tow truck and had the car pulled from the water. 

Officer Hythecker was treated by Clear Lake Ambulance attendants for hypothermia. After warming up, he returned to duty.

Neighbors Bob and Carol Lee Halford and Denni Sue and Tommy Erickson watched the vehicle recovery from their homes.  

Carol Lee Halford said she heard a person yelling  and when she got up she saw a car submerged in the water.  She witnessed two persons walking out of the lake and  leaving in another car.  She alerted the police.

The Ericksons said they did not hear any loud noises, but awoke to the rescue workers on the scene.  Like the Halfords, they were impressed by the professional manner in which a search of the submerged vehicle was done and the handling of the bizarre situation.