Atascadero biker saves drowning man

May 29, 2015
Boyd Tarwater

Boyd Tarwater

An Atascadero biker who recently gained release from prison rescued a man who was drowning in a rip current at an Oxnard beach on Monday. [KEYT]

Tarwater biked to Oxnard for a Memorial Day picnic. While at the beach, he saw people running out to the water, waving their arms and pointing to the ocean.

After seeing someone’s head go under water, Tarwater stripped out of his biker gear and ran to the water wearing just his boxers. He swam about 50 feet, grabbed the man and pulled him back to shore.

Tarwater then managed to lay the man on his back and clear his airways by the time lifeguards and paramedics arrived. The man is now doing all right, Tarwater says.

Tarwater spent 23 of his last 35 years in prison, mostly for drug and alcohol offenses, he says. He is now part of a sober biker club and is attending college with the aim of becoming a drug and alcohol counsellor.

A KABC report says Tarwater is a former Navy sailor. The article in part credits Tarwater’s Navy training for the rescue.


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I cannot believe how some of you people are arguing about this guy.


Unlike many of us, this man was willing to strip down to his underwear and swim out in freezing water to save a stranger. He’s a hero. Period.


@black copter and hell in basket: If you weren’t in such a hurry to JUDGE me, you would have seen that I was responding to mkaney, not making a statement about Mr. Tarwater below when you started on your “cast the first stone” sermon. Do me a favor, pay attention to what you are responding to before responding to it.


Thank you Mr. Tarwater, your family has been an inspiration to the community for decades.


What a hero. This is a great example of someone who was going nowhere fast and appears to have decided that he CAN do good for society. Sure didn’t take him long! Way to go! If I ever run into you when I am up in the north county, I will buy you lunch.


Gotta love how the lamestream fishwrap had “expletive” in the banner, then used his word “shit” in the story…I don’t recall the Slow Tribble using such language on the lead front page story before! Classy, Sandra and Matt!


So a decent human being was socially pigeon holed because he was a biker and thrown in prison because he refused to obey the state, and not because he victimized anyone. I often wonder if that’s not one of the reasons for prohibition… to identify people who might possibly stand up to a government gone amuck and get them spinning their wheels with the law so they never get anywhere.


What does being a biker have to do with a rescue? Rescue is good and noteworthy. Biker, over 50% with hostility and thug modified pipes?


Sounds like somebody wants to raise the public standing of a biker group with a favorable write up. Leave out of the story the biker crap, and praise this man for beating prison, turning around his life, and sounds like, for saving someone else’s.


Mostly, those who call themselves “bikers” are wanna-be’s, thugs, or 1% true criminal bikers, all of them with sociopathic noise from their illegal machines. This does nothing to raise them, any more than riding for a toy run, or riding on a Veteran’s Day.


Responsible motorcycling is good. Life saving is good. Loud disruptive look at me thug bikers, bad.


Everything in your life must revolve around “thug bikers” and loud pipes. I really feel sorry for you. How lame.


Well I don’t fixate on it THAT much, wlb, I have life, family, and a 200 acre ranch to visit and run, however thanks for noticing, the pointless illegal noise IS an issue only because it invades my favorite city home, and my research and supermarket polling shows lots of people find it disruptive of peace. The home I most enjoy is a desirable one near the Bay, an incredible blessing of God. I prefer the roar of the surf to the roar of some loser whose manhood is measured by the noise of his oil dripping polished junker. That neighborhood should be a place of constant PEACE. An appealing place to live, and for riders, it seems also. It is shaken frequently, right through the walls even with windows shut and heavy drapes. The first nearby thug (a renter, I’ve looked that guy up) commutes before 7am, and sleep is OVER. So, yes you can detect abusive, illegal, unpoliced noise is an area of my concern. Turns out the CDC in Atlanta agrees with my health concerns. Multiple studies.


Worse is sitting down with top cops, coastal CHP chief, etc. with instrumented data proving violation, and they just yawn and bite into their next doughnut, and say they are busy with “real crimes”. Yeah, I did that, when you have a little spare time and money, you do weird stuff like personally ask the cops to do their jobs. Nine grand in property taxes and you get nothing for protection or “service”. Neither does anybody else who finds the easy-to-cite morons disruptive.


To belabor: When something makes rings (resonant standing waves in the surface) in your coffee cup almost before sunrise, inside your home and “castle” as the lawyers call it, you react and ask for enforcement, especially when law enforcement declines to enforce multiple existing laws. Having instigated a major LA regional water conservation project in the 90’s, 5 MGD in just one branch, I somehow have this foolish idea that with research and complaint, I can also IMPROVE things in society in this little bergh. Thanks for analyzing me, wlb. I confess an obvious focus on this issue. Having the “white horse” mentality is perhaps my TRUE lameness, because sheeple actually put up with crap, and many just don’t care about quality of life or electing quality leaders, or about demanding service from police agencies.


Just mark me down as a “quality of life activist” and dismiss me like law enforcement does. LOL. Twist that loud bike throttle grip and leave crying babies in your proud wake. And don’t feel sorry for me son, I have undeserved blessings and joy of life beyond belief. Maybe that’s why I just keep aiming for BETTER for myself, my family, and everyone else. The national noise plague is just one of my targets.


You don’t spend 23 out of 35 years in prison unless you DID victimize someone. Your advocacy for anarchy is ridiculous. Your history of posting shows that you want to discard law and order.


Those without sin……..


Huh?


Those without sin cast the first sone


http://biblehub.com/john/8-7.htm. For all you secular folks


I think this applies here, Pers


How on earth does that apply here? Did you even read my post? All I said in response to Mkaney was that you don’t spend 23 years in prison without victimizing someone. Did you read mkaney’s post that I was responding to? Are you familiar with mkaney’s history on this forum? Sheesh…why do I even bother explaining things to people who don’t think more than a millisecond before posting?


@ Pers,


BCP refersto John 8:3-11;


3: The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, 4: they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act.

5: “Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?” 6: They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. 7: But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8: Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9: When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court. 10: Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” 11: She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.”


Mr. Tarwater. You did a great thing sir. God bless you. Your act of putting the life of another first, speaks volumes about your character.


Great passage, but how does that apply to what I posted? The Pharisees were trying to trick Jesus and it didn’t work. Jesus’ response flabbergasted them. Please tell me what “cast the first stone” has to do with what I wrote?


Pers,


I was just answering your “Huh?”


No need to shoot the messenger.


Peace….


I understand and am familiar with the passage. The problem is, he was totally misusing it. That passage and the “judge not lest ye be judged” are so misused and misquoted and are usually used to “slam” Christians. Gets kind of irritating when people with only a cursory knowledge of Scripture have no idea what they are quoting or the context it was written and intended in.


Awesome! Bravo and best of luck to them both.


Outstanding, Mr. Tarwater!


Well done Mr. Tarwater, best of luck to you!