Minnesota DNR officer goes through thin ice

WARROAD, Minn. (AP) — A conservation officer for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has escaped injury after the all-terrain vehicle he was driving broke through thin ice on Lake of the Woods over the weekend.

A DNR district enforcement officer says Officer Ben Huener was checking fishing north of Warroad about 12:30 p.m. Saturday when the ATV broke through the ice and sank to the bottom of the lake in about 8 feet of water.

Huener was able to swim to the edge of the ice and pull himself out of the water to safety with ice picks. He then used his radio to call a state trooper for a ride.

The Grand Forks (N.D.) Herald reports the ATV was recovered late Tuesday afternoon.