August 10, 2018

DRONES USED BY POLICE TO LOCATE LOST PAIR

Grandmother and 8-year-old grandson were lost on Crow’s Ridge Road

A grandmother and her 8-year-old grandson were found safe and sound Tuesday afternoon after roaming for over an hour in the heat near Crow’s Ridge Road and Junction Pike in Harrison County.

Elizabeth Miller, her grandson and dog took off from their cabin on Crow’s Ridge Tuesday to get some exercise, according to Harrison County Sheriff’s Deputy Dean Hutchison.

He said they walked and walked and she became disoriented by her surroundings and couldn’t get back to the cabin.

“She did the smart thing,” Hutchison said. “ She found a point of reference and sat down.”

When she called E-911 at 2:01 p.m., she told dispatchers she had been walking a long time and could no longer walk.

She said she was near a pond and there were power lines overhead.

As first responders converged on the area, they soon learned there were two sets of power lines and two ponds.

While information was flowing through the E-911 center and being relayed to the men and women involved in the search, Hutchison was also on his cellphone with Sheriff’s office assistant Kristy Barnes. He said she was looking at Google maps on her computer and told him about the power lines.

In the meantime, Cynthiana Police Sgt. Nathan Linville and Georgetown Police Department launched drones to search the clearing and wooded areas.

The grandson had a whistle that he continued blowing and deputies and Harrison County Volunteer firefighters were blowing horns or sounding sirens.

Linville said that CPD has a drone on order, but he was able to use his personal equipment to help with the search.

It was the second time in less than a week that the drone was used.

The first time was when two boaters were stuck on the A. Keller Dam.
“It’s more equipment to help make Cynthiana a safer place,” Linville said. “It’s a visual observer at a height officer’s cannot reach.” Re’Jeana Craft, Harrison County Search and Rescue director, said it was truly a team effort that brought the woman and her grandson to safety.

Miller saw the drone, heard the sirens and then was picked up by Hutchison.

He said he had water and juice to help them rehydrate.

Craft said the pair, along with Miller’s husband who had been involved in the frantic search, were checked out and cleared by Brown’s EMS.

“It had a good ending,” said Hutchison. “I’ll take these types of endings all day long.”

By Becky Barnes
Cynthiana Democrat