WORTHINGTON, Ohio — A 67-year-old man has drowned in a central Ohio river while trying to rescue his dog, which was able to get out of the water on its own.
Police say Joseph Crites was walking his dog in the Columbus suburb of Worthington late Thursday morning when the dog jumped into the Olentangy River. Crites followed the dog into the water and was pulled under by currents near a low head dam.
Rescuers eventually pulled him out, and he was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Authorities say the dog, a chocolate Labrador retriever, managed to get out of the water without help.
The dog has been returned to Crites' family.