Otter attack stuns victims, responders

When Jefferson County Undersheriff James Everett woke up Aug. 2 he could not have imagined the 911 call that would be dialed later that evening – or the media firestorm that would follow.

According to Everett  – and a “tell-all“ Facebook post by Jen Royce, one of the victims – at around 8:15 p.m. a group of three women were attacked by at least one otter while floating the Jefferson River.

Royce is unsure how long the assault lasted, but what is sure is that the seemingly adorable amphibious mammals are what they have always been – wild. However, Royce asserts that the group did not incite the attack.