On February 17th at 1:17 a.m. deputies responded to the Civil War Park on Mount Hope Church Road for a missing 36-year-old male hiker. The hiker had become separated from a fellow hiker and was last seen at midnight. With decreasing temperatures, high wind chill, and mixed precipitation, environmental factors were less than ideal. Deputies would also discover the missing hiker was not properly dressed for the weather, and his phone battery had died.

Due to these circumstances, Sergeant S.H. Curtis and Deputy M.A. Holub of the UAS Team, also known as the Drone Team, were called out to conduct a methodical search of the park.
Because of their amazing flying, at 5:53 a.m. they observed the missing hiker. Using the drone, they were able to lead the rescue team directly to the missing hiker so they could bring him to safety.

Thank you to all the deputies that participated in this rescue mission and especially to our talented drone pilots. Their work undoubtedly saved a life.

If you want to join our UAS Team and save lives, join our commitment to excellence today at https://www.staffordsheriff.com/content/employment/currentpositions.cfm