On December 27th, 2020 at approximately 2:00 p.m., Michael Tiemann, 61, of Grey Eagle was riding his 2000 Artic Cat 600 snowmobile, south, along the east side of Little Birch Lake in Melrose Township. He was with his son and daughter-in-law who were on their own sled. Tiemann was riding approximately 20 feet from shore when his sled broke through the ice and became partially submerged. He stayed on the machine while his son returned to his house to retrieve a strap to pull it out. As he was returning with the strap, Tiemann was able to get off the snowmobile safely with the assistance if his daughter-in-law. Once he was off, the snowmobile broke completely through the ice and sank to the bottom in approximately six feet of water. Tiemann was not injured during this incident and was wearing a helmet. Tiemann planned to remove the snowmobile on December 28th.