Rescued trying to raft across Niagara River to U.S.

[auntAgonist]

Ontario man rescued trying to raft across Niagara River to U.S.; faces charges

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) - A Canadian man was rescued from the Niagara River after trying to cross into the United States in the middle of the night in a rubber raft, telling U.S. authorities it was all so he could pay a credit card bill in person.

Wayne Kingwell, 40, of Fort Erie, Ont., was pulled to safety by state police and firefighters Monday on the U.S. side of the river near Grand Island. Kingwell told authorities he set out in his raft around 2 a.m. with the intention of paying off a credit card bill in Buffalo. He said he was looking at an $85 fee if he mailed the payment from Canada.

Officials say Kingwell also told them he can't drive across the nearby Peace Bridge connecting Ontario and New York because of a past legal dispute with the Canadian government. Kingwell was taken to a local hospital to be treated for hypothermia. Later, he was taken into custody by the U.S. Border Patrol and now faces a charge of illegally trying to enter the United States.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2007/02/06/pf-3540769.html