Kansas man honored for heroic act of saving teen from drowning

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - On July 4, Jerrod Dalke, his daughter Reagen, and her friend Kloe Heim were swimming at Kanopolis Lake when their boat drifted away. Dalke and Heim drowned, while Reagen floated in the water for hours.

That’s when Darryl Lee, a camper nearby, spotted Reagen in the lake and jumped in to pull her to safety.

“We’ve had a lot of drownings in this lake over the years, but I have never seen a successful rescue,” said Rory Tillett, undersheriff with the Ellsworth County Sheriff’s Office.

On Friday, first responders surprised Lee with an honorary sheriff’s recognition and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Hero Award. The Dalke family joined the ceremony, thanking him for saving Reagen’s life.

“I had no idea,” Lee said. “It’s great she’s here with us, and I had a little part in it.”

Reagen recalled the relief of finally seeing help arrive.

“I felt really relieved that I knew someone was coming to get me. I was mostly thankful someone found me finally,” she said.

Both the Dalke and Lee families say the tragedy has brought them closer together, and they’re finding hope in their new bond.

“The beauty of coming out of it now is we are seeing the new relationship we have,” said Lisa Dalke, Reagen’s mother.