RIVERTON – A drowning was reported overnight at Boysen Reservoir, north of Shoshoni. However, the report was unfounded. A truck with two men inside did plunge through the ice at Fremont Bay, but both men inside escaped the vehicle. The two men were 34-year-old Phillip Gonka and 41-year-old John Strickland.
According to the Fremont County sheriff’s report, Gonka was driving his Ford Ranger pickup onto the lake when it fell through the ice. The truck was completely submerged, said Sgt. Jerry Evagelatos. He said the men got separated as they made their escape. Gonka made it to the B&K Shoreline stop and called authorities. The call was logged at 6:32 p.m. Monday. Strickland was picked up by a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper who was traveling on Highway 789, just south of the causeway. Evagelatos said the truck fell through the ice about 100 yards east of the Fremont Bay bathrooms.
Be careful out there!
