What started as a welfare check near an elementary school in Palm Coast ended with deputies wrestling a struggling man in a canal they described as full of snakes and alligators, county officials say. According to deputies, 47-year-old Ryan McMinn refused to leave the water, then fought with them as they tried to pull him out, allegedly shoving and yanking at the officers, attempting to push one deputy's head underwater and grabbing another deputy by the neck. McMinn was evaluated at AdventHealth Palm Coast, then booked on two counts of battery on a law-enforcement officer.
How deputies say it unfolded
According to the Flagler County Sheriff's Office, deputies first encountered McMinn shirtless in front of Wadsworth Elementary during a welfare check. Officials say he ran from the area on foot and headed into the canal behind a Whittle Place home. When McMinn reportedly ignored repeated commands to get out of the water and began showing signs of exhaustion, two deputies waded in to reach him and attempted to guide him back to shore. Deputies say he resisted by pushing and pulling against them in the water.
“Battering a Deputy Sheriff will guarantee you the loss of your freedom and a trip to jail,” Sheriff Rick Staly said in the agency's news release. The sheriff's office reports that deputies eventually secured McMinn's arms and pulled him safely to the bank, where Flagler County Fire Rescue checked his condition before he was cleared at AdventHealth Palm Coast. The release states that McMinn was then taken to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility, where he is being held on a $5,000 bond on two counts of battery on a law-enforcement officer.
Charges and local reporting
The same sequence of events, from the welfare check near Wadsworth Elementary to the struggle in the canal, was also reported by WFTV Channel 9. The station's coverage matches the sheriff's account that deputies entered the canal after McMinn appeared exhausted and refused commands to come out. WFTV noted that its report did not include any public comment from McMinn or an attorney on his behalf.
Why the canal matters
Flagler County's description of the canal as home to snakes and alligators underscores the added risk deputies faced when they stepped into the water. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission warns that canals and ponds are prime alligator habitat and advises residents to avoid entering water where alligators are likely to be present. The agency also runs a nuisance-alligator hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR for people worried about gators near homes or neighborhoods. In its account, the sheriff's office says the deputies entered the canal to keep McMinn from drowning, a point Sheriff Staly highlighted in his praise of their actions.
The incident was included in the sheriff's July holiday-weekend roundup of arrests. McMinn remains in custody while his case moves through the local criminal justice system, and officials remind residents with safety or wildlife concerns that they can contact local law enforcement or the FWC nuisance hotline for help.
