SAN LUIS OBISPO, California (23 May 2005) -- A lieutenant at the California Men's Colony died Monday morning while diving for salvage off the northern shore of Nacimiento Lake. Milton Ratzlaff, 49, of Atascadero was scuba diving off a boat at Bee Rock Cove when he began having difficulty just before 11:40 a.m., according to sheriff's Sgt. Rick Neufeld. He had been in the water for about half an hour, according to CDF spokesman Mike Cole. After Ratzlaff indicated his condition to his diving partners on the boat, they pulled him up, and one performed CPR on him, Neufeld said. Rescue officials could not offer any more details about the incident Monday night, and Ratzlaff's cause of death remained unclear. According to Neufeld, Ratzlaff had been diving in the lake as part of a salvage operation. The coroner's detective did not know for whom Ratzlaff was working or any more details about the operation. CMC spokeswoman Lt. Shelly Thompson said Ratzlaff was a program lieutenant in charge of one of the prison's housing units. He supervised about 900 inmates and a staff that included one sergeant and about 16 officers. Ratzlaff worked for CMC on two separate occasions between stints at the Sierra Conservation Center, most recently for 15 years, Thompson said. "He was very well thought of, very well respected," she said. "Staff were notified this afternoon and, as you might guess, it (was) a very difficult evening for many staff." | | Ratzlaff was also well-liked in his south Atascadero neighborhood. Patrick Rodda, who lived near Ratzlaff and his wife for seven or eight years, described the man as "hardworking, very caring and unselfish." Rodda recalled a time last year when his weeds needed mowing. "I looked out the window one day and Milton was out mowing my five acres for me," Rodda said. "He heard me mention it one time and the next weekend he was out there -- he was very giving and generous." In addition to helping neighbors, Rodda said Ratzlaff could often be seen doing chores on his John Deere tractor or in the garden. "He loved his wife dearly," Rodda said. "They were always together working in the yard and playing with the horses and dogs." Both Rodda and Thompson said Ratzlaff was an avid scuba diver but did not know what he was doing at Nacimiento Lake. SOURCE - San Luis Obispo Tribune |
