Man dies after riding 4-wheeler into pond
A Trafalgar man died after he drove his four-wheeler into a pond on his property, police said.
The death of Timothy Crabtree, 59, appears to be accidental and investigators believe Crabtree experienced a medical emergency which caused him to drive the four-wheeler into the pond, Johnson County Sheriff Duane Burgess said.
Crabtree was reported missing at 7:57 p.m. Thursday, and the sheriff’s office’s dive team found a four-wheeler and his body a few hours after he was reported missing.
A relative who called police said Crabtree’s truck was in his driveway in the 5500 block of W. County Road 300 S., and that the truck had sweet snacks, which Crabtree used to help treat a medical condition. The house was also unlocked and the garage door was open, according to a report from the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.
The relative told police that he had last spoken with Crabtree earlier this week and that Crabtree was supposed to help a friend with a chore, but never showed, according to the report.
An officer found Crabtree’s phone, which was last used on Tuesday. The relative told police Crabtree never goes anywhere without his cooler of snacks and thrives on routine, the report said.
The relative noticed a paint can and coffee can in the pond that he believed were on the back of the four-wheeler. The relative then showed police four-wheeler tracks that went across the yard and disappeared near the bank of the pond, according to the report.
A dive team responded and found Crabtree about 33 feet from the shore on the southeast side of the pond. An autopsy is planned, the report said.
