Wanted felon stuck in Rio Grande

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) - The man the Albuquerque Fire Department plucked from the Rio Grande Saturday morning after being stuck in the mud for three days turns out to be a wanted felony suspect.

The unlikely heroes who launched the rescue effort are a group of La Cueva High School students on a biology field trip.

The advanced-placement class had not been at the San Antonio Oxbow Open Space long on Saturday morning when they heard desperate calls for help.

They soon located the man on a reed island in the marshy area about two miles north of Interstate 40.

"He said he was stuck and that he couldn't move his legs," recalled student Alexander Mills. "He said he was hurt and he'd been there for three days."

The students couldn't get to the man who, so they called 911. Rescuers used an air boat to find him and a raft and litter to float him out.

"It was very tough," explained AFD Capt. Richard Collado. "We're dealing with a couple feet of mud and 2 feet of water over the top of that."

They found the man stranded on an reed island and used ropes to pull him out of the river.

His name is Clayton Senn. Police say Senn is a transient and has been living on the river banks. He is also wanted on a felony warrant for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Senn was taken to the hospital and is being treated for minor hypothermia, but once he's released he'll be booked into jail.