Contra Costa Deputy Dies During Lake Tahoe Rescue Attempt

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- The Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office is mourning the loss of a deputy who died during a rescue attempt at Lake Tahoe.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports Deputy Carlos Francies died Thursday as he was trying to prevent a drowning. It was not immediately known if the person survived.

Sheriff David Livingston said in a statement that Francies is a hero who died while performing his sworn duty of putting himself in harm's way to protect the lives of others.

"Today we lost a dedicated Deputy Sheriff and a member of our family," Livingston said. "Deputy Carlos Francies died doing what he was sworn to do: putting himself in harms way to protect the lives of others. He is a hero and an example of exactly what is right in law enforcement today. We mourn with his family, friends and colleagues."

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press.