Off-duty deputy acts to prevent possible suicide on Spirit Lake

An off-duty deputy likely saved the life of a juvenile male whose hands were bound with a T-shirt and reportedly had suicidal thoughts last Wednesday on Spirit Lake.

Spokane County Sheriff's Office Corrections Deputy Timothy Bliven was off duty and pulling his boat out of the lake at 3:45 p.m. when he noticed the juvenile standing at the dock's edge without a shirt and felt "something wasn't right," a Spokane County Sheriff's Office press release states.

Bliven approached the male and noticed his hands were bound.

"Deputy Bliven pulled the male away from the edge of the dock and had a bystander call 911," the press release states.

The male told a responding Kootenai County Sheriff's deputy that he was standing on the dock thinking about jumping into the lake in an attempt to drown himself and somebody suddenly grabbed him and took him away from the edge.

"Deputy Bliven's swift response to this potentially tragic situation probably saved the man's life," the press release states.