Police: Man dove in water after crash

Body recovered from Fairfield pond
Police: Man dove in water after crash
BY SUE KIESEWETTER | ENQUIRER CONTRIBUTOR
August 10, 2007

FAIRFIELD - The body of a Fairfield man who crashed his truck into a tree and bolted into a pond minutes later Wednesday night was recovered Thursday afternoon.
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The man was identified by Fairfield police as Jason Nudds, 30. His body was recovered shortly after 3:30 p.m.

Witnesses said Nudds was driving erratically down Annandale on Wednesday night and hit a tree, a light pole and a second tree about 9 p.m.

Fairfield police responded to the wreck and found a female passenger in the pickup with minor injuries. She was identified as Nudds' sister, Stephanie Martin.

Police were interviewing Nudds after the accident when he ran into a 1-acre pond nearby and started to swim.
Fairfield Lt. Ken Colburn said Nudds yelled to police: "Come get me, I'm a Marine."

Nudds went under the water three times and then did not resurface. A police officer and two paramedics went into the water but could not locate Nudds. The search was called off at 2 a.m. Thursday. It resumed at 10 a.m.

Lisa Schwarz, who said she was Nudds' girlfriend and that the two became engaged on Monday, said he was an ex-Marine who served in Iraq and was a father of three.

"It's a nightmare," Schwarz said. "I don't understand how a person can drown after hitting a light pole."

Colburn said Nudds had been arrested 12 times in Fairfield on various offenses over the years, including drunken driving.

His most recent arrest was in January, for allegedly making harassing phone calls.