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Searchers find Coos Bay man safe in Blue Ridge area
From Staff Reports
Friday, July 03, 2009 | 1 comment(s)
A Coos Bay man who wandered lost for a night and day in the Blue Ridge area east of Coos Bay is now safe and receiving care at Bay Area Hospital.
At about 4:40 p.m., searchers located 42-year-old Richard D. Smith just east of radio tower sites on Blue Ridge, where he appeared to be in fair physical health, slightly dehydrated and scratched up from brush, a Coos County Sheriff's Office press release states.
Smith had discarded his clothing sometime after he went missing. Searchers found his clothing in a pile before they found him.
Megan Harper, the public information officer for the Bureau of Land Management, said BLM Ranger Carrie Pope found him.
"He was hunkered down in a dry mud hole," Harper said.
She said sheriff's deputies and BLM rangers were on a road on Blue Ridge by the communications tower and were about to split up to do another search, when Pope rounded a corner and saw Smith.
Smith was taken to the hospital on a mental hold for evaluation. A hospital spokeswoman said he remained in fair condition this morning.
Smith, who lives on Coos Sumner Road, was reported missing at about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday after going for a walk with another family member shortly before 8 p.m. and not returning.
Search and rescue personnel, including a Coos Bay police dog, were unable to find Smith on an initial search which was terminated at 2 a.m., though family members and deputies continued patrolling the nearby roads for any sign of the man. A full-scale search resumed at 6 a.m. Thursday.
During those early searches, investigators said they found some evidence of Smith, including some drops of blood. Police also believed Smith may suffer from a mental health condition causing him to feel paranoid.
Coos County sheriff's patrol deputies, the Coos County Sheriff's Search and Rescue team, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Fairview Fire Department, the Bureau of Land Management and Oregon State Police troopers all helped in the search.
At about 4:40 p.m., searchers located 42-year-old Richard D. Smith just east of radio tower sites on Blue Ridge, where he appeared to be in fair physical health, slightly dehydrated and scratched up from brush, a Coos County Sheriff's Office press release states.
Smith had discarded his clothing sometime after he went missing. Searchers found his clothing in a pile before they found him.
Megan Harper, the public information officer for the Bureau of Land Management, said BLM Ranger Carrie Pope found him.
"He was hunkered down in a dry mud hole," Harper said.
She said sheriff's deputies and BLM rangers were on a road on Blue Ridge by the communications tower and were about to split up to do another search, when Pope rounded a corner and saw Smith.
Smith was taken to the hospital on a mental hold for evaluation. A hospital spokeswoman said he remained in fair condition this morning.
Smith, who lives on Coos Sumner Road, was reported missing at about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday after going for a walk with another family member shortly before 8 p.m. and not returning.
Search and rescue personnel, including a Coos Bay police dog, were unable to find Smith on an initial search which was terminated at 2 a.m., though family members and deputies continued patrolling the nearby roads for any sign of the man. A full-scale search resumed at 6 a.m. Thursday.
During those early searches, investigators said they found some evidence of Smith, including some drops of blood. Police also believed Smith may suffer from a mental health condition causing him to feel paranoid.
Coos County sheriff's patrol deputies, the Coos County Sheriff's Search and Rescue team, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Fairview Fire Department, the Bureau of Land Management and Oregon State Police troopers all helped in the search.
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