The Umatilla County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team had a busy night on Wednesday, responding to three separate incidents lost or stranded citizens.
The first incident took place just after 6 p.m. when the sheriff’s office received a call from Lisa Wright, a stranded motorist who requested assistance after she became stuck in the snow in her Ford Explorer in the area of Hwy 204 and the Tollgate/Spout Springs area. After Sgt. Dwight Johnson spoke to Wright on the phone, he identified her general location and members of Search and Rescue (SAR) responded. They determined that a tow truck would be able to reach her and free the vehicle. Wright reported that she could not afford the tow bill, and instead called friends to help her, but they did not arrive. At about 11 p.m., SAR members reached Wright in her vehicle and drove her to the sheriff’s office in Pendleton, where a family member picked her up.
The second incident took place around 7 p.m. when Danny Davis reported that his friend, Mark Gilliland, of Walla Walla, was about two hours overdue after they were mushroom hunting in Umatilla County near Government Mountain Road. They were hiking and were supposed to meet at Davis’ car at 5 p.m. SAR began the process of searching for Gilliland. They also tried to reach Gilliland’s cell phone and contacted his family members to find out if they heard from him. At about 10:15 p.m., Davis reported that Gilliland called a friend and said he hiked to “Four Corners” where the friend picked him up.
The third incident occurred just after midnight when Melanie Medina, a resident assistant from Whitman College in Walla Walla, contacted UCSO dispatch to report that five freshmen students from the school were overdue from a trip to the Tiger Canyon area in northern Umatilla County. The group did not return before dark as scheduled and none could be reached by cell phone. At about 1 a.m., SAR members began traveling to the area. They determined that the group might be located near Klicker Mountain Road in southern Washington. At about 2:45 a.m., one of the students contacted Medina by text message and reported that they were on their way back to Walla Walla and all were safe. The student said their vehicle became stuck in the snow, which delayed them. By about 3:30 a.m., the group had reportedly returned safely to the college.
