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Soldier rescued after parachute caught in power lines

DELAND, Fla. — A U.S. Army soldier parachuting over DeLand was blown off course and got tangled into some power lines, military officials said.

Carlos Esparza, 33, stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, was rescued Monday morning about a quarter of a mile from the drop zone at the DeLand Municipal Airport, officials said.

Sgt. Maj. Tom Clementson said Esparza is very experienced at free fall and high altitude jumps. He said Esparza and 19 others from a unit attached to the 18th Airborne Corps were training in DeLand.

Emergency workers responding to the scene reported that Esparza was dangling about 20 feet off the ground. Duke Energy workers had to cut the power so DeLand firefighters could bring Esparza down safely.

Clementson said the jump remains under investigation.

The Associate Press Contributed to this report.