Texas Man Arrested After Heroic Rescue

SAN MARCOS, Texas - A man who rescued a swimmer caught in swirling currents of the San Marcos River found himself in trouble soon afterward when he was arrested by authorities who claimed he was interfering.

Dave Newman, 48, disobeyed repeated orders by emergency personnel to leave the water, police said. He was charged with interfering with public duties. The police report does not mention Newman's rescue Sunday afternoon of 35-year-old Abed Duamni.

"I was amazed," Newman said Monday after his release on $2,000 bail. "I had a very uncomfortable night after saving that guy's life. He thanked me for it in front of the police, and then they took me to jail."

Duamni had just finished eating at the nearby restaurant when he decided to go for a swim. He said he did not see signs warning swimmers about any danger, and jumped into the water several times before the current caught him.

"I reached a point where I said, 'I'm dead,'" Duamni said.

Newman said he pulled Duamni from the water, swimming under a waterfall and over to the shore opposite from the restaurant. He could hear law enforcement personnel telling him to come back to the other side.

"When he came across the river, the officer stuck out his hand like he's going to help him out of the water, and he put cuffs on him," said John Parnell, pastor of St. Augustine Old Roman Catholic Church in Fort Worth.

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