The former Captain of the Etowah County Rescue Squad has been arrested on an indictment recently handed down by the Etowah County Grand Jury.

According to Etowah County Sheriff  Todd Entrekin, 49 year old Michael Ervin Bettis, of Gadsden, was arrested and served with one count of criminally negligent homicide, which is a Class A misdemeanor.

The indictment stems from an incident, that occurred April 25, 2015, where a rescue squad member died after a boat she was in capsized.  The victim was part of an apparent recovery attempt on Big Wills Creek, near Brooke Avenue.

At the time of the incident Bettis was the Captain of the Etowah County Rescue Squad.  He no longer holds the position.

Alabama Code Section 13A-6-4 states: (a) A person commits the crime of criminally negligent homicide if he causes the death of another person by criminal negligence.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) was the lead agency during the investigation.

Bettis is currently being held in the Etowah County Detention Center on $2,500 bond.