Search ends with recovery of man's body

It wasn't the ending law enforcement and rescue personnel wanted as the body of a man whose car was swept off a county road near Protivin was recovered Wednesday afternoon.The Chickasaw County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the body of 77-year-old Albert Gott of rural Sumner had been recovered early Wednesday afternoon.Gott was on his way to work at Featherlite in Cresco and was northbound on Chickasaw County Road V56 about two miles south of Protivin when his car was swept off the road by floodwaters at around 4:40 a.m."It was obviously still dark, and I'm sure he didn't have any idea that there was that much water on the road," Chickasaw County Emergency Management Director Ken Rasing said. "It's a really tough deal, and our hearts go out to his family."Chickasaw County Chief Deputy Marty Hemann echoed Rasing’s thoughts when he said “[our office] would like to extend our heartfelt sympathies to the family of Mr. Gott."Officials found Gott’s car in the ditch just east of V-56 and Rasing said the man's body was recovered about a quarter of a mile downstream.Numerous fire departments and law enforcement agencies from Chickasaw and Howard counties, along with the Chickasaw County Rescue Squad and the Chickasaw Ambulance Service responded to the scene."We worked really well together, and the training and partnerships we have helped us a lot," Rasing said. "I'm proud of our people who responded; I just wish we would have had a better outcome."