01/12/2026
Re: Motor Vehicle Through the Ice
New London Township, Kandiyohi County –
On January 11th, 2026, at approximately 7:02 p.m., the Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Rush Brown Landing Public Water Access on Green Lake, located at 8387 North Shore Drive, Spicer, MN 56288, for a report of a vehicle that had broken through the ice.
The Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Office was notified that the driver of the vehicle, identified as Blake Hiltner, age 22, of Paynesville, MN, was out of the vehicle and uninjured. Hiltner was the only occupant.
During the investigation, a Deputy learned that Hiltner was driving a 2001 Chevrolet TrailBlazer on Green Lake when the vehicle broke through the ice approximately 100 yards from the Rush Brown Landing. As the front end of the vehicle broke through the ice, Hiltner was able to exit the vehicle through a window and make it out of the vehicle safely. The vehicle then broke completely through the ice and became fully submerged in approximately eight feet of water.
Measurements were taken at the vehicle’s break-through location and revealed approximately three to five inches of ice. The area where the vehicle broke through appeared to be a path that had been driven on numerous times in recent days.
Assisting the Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Office was the New London Fire Department, New London Ambulance, Spicer First Responders, Spicer Fire Department, Kandiyohi County Rescue Squad, and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
Corporal Riley Kampsen #3334
Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Office