ML man drowns at sand dunes

Death was accidental, deputy says

A 20-year-old Moses Lake man drowned early Thursday morning in a pond at the Moses Lake Sand Dunes.

Dale L. Hansen was walking through the dunes with his girlfriend about 3 a.m. Thursday when he apparently slipped off a ledge, fell into a pond and drowned, Grant County Chief Deputy Courtney Conklin said.

Hansen had been driving a pickup truck that went over a 10- to 12-foot embankment, according to law enforcement at the scene. As he was walking back to get help, he apparently fell into one of the sand dune ponds.

"It's a terrible accident," Conklin said.

A Multi-Agency Communications Center dispatcher received a call at 4:54 a.m. from Hansen's girlfriend. She said he had wandered off by himself, and she could see a flashlight at the bottom of the pond, according to a news release from Sheriff Frank De Trolio.

Marine and Search and Rescue units were dispatched to the scene, and divers found the body 10 minutes after entering the water.

Conklin said Hansen was in the water from between 30 minutes and one hour.

Conklin said Hansen was diabetic, and the sheriff's office is waiting for toxicology reports to come back to determine whether Hansen had been drinking.

Hansen had said earlier in the evening that he had drunk a beer, Conklin said.

Hansen and his girlfriend were driving on the road parallel to the Potholes Reservoir when a tire popped off, Conklin said.

The sheriff's office is continuing its investigation, though Conklin believes no foul play is involved.

"It's just odd how it happened," he said.