A 57-year-old Bayport man who was plucked safely from the St. Croix River by three Washington County sheriff's officers early Saturday morning is now facing possible charges.

Alcohol may have been a factor when the man, who has not been identified because of the pending charges, crashed through the ice with his truck, the Washington County Sheriff's Department said Tuesday.

Officers responded to a call of a man in the water calling for help about 3 a.m. Saturday north of the railroad swing bridge in West Lakeland Township. Sheriff's deputies, along with the North Hudson Police Department and the Washington County Fire Dive Team, worked their way down to the riverbank.

Deputies Shane Linehan and Tim Harris and Sgt. Matt Wieland formed a human chain while lying on the ice and pulled the man out of the water.

The officers were not injured in the rescue, but the man was taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul. His condition is not known.

JIM ANDERSON