Middleton man drowns in Sauk Co. Thursday

Authorities: Man could not swim

SPRING GREEN TOWNSHIP, Wis. — A Middleton man drowned in the Wisconsin River in the town of Spring Green Thursday night.

Authorities said four people were wading in the Wisconsin River near a sandbar when Mario Montes Ponce, 22, of Middleton, went under and did not come back up.

The Sauk County Sheriff’s Office said rescue teams were called to Pecks Landing on Highway 23 in Spring Green just before 9 p.m.

“I was told the young man (who) passed away was a non-swimmer. He was there with some friends just trying to relax and enjoy the early evening,” said Kevin Fults, Sauk County Sheriff’s Office chief deputy. 

Fults said Ponces stepped into a deeper part of the river.

“The river is a very changing environment,” Fults said. “One day you may have a sandbar that stretches 50 feet; the next day it may be only 10 feet.” 

The Sauk County Dive Team and the Spring Green Fire Department recovered Ponce’s body just after midnight.

The depth of the water where Ponce’s body was found was over the divers’ heads, according to Fults.

The Sauk County Sheriff’s Office continue to investigate the incident. 

They said they don’t believe alcohol was a factor in the drowning.

Autopsy results are expected in the next few weeks, investigators said.