The La Grande man missing since Tuesday found his way back home after becoming stranded in snowy mountains.
Jacob Aaron Cartwright went missing on Tuesday while driving a semi-truck that a faulty GPS system may have guided into an unsafe area. The Oregon State Police was informed on Saturday that Cartwright had returned home and was taken to Grande Ronde Hospital for medical evaluation.
Cartwright told the OSP that he encountered snow and mud on the roadway and his vehicle began to slide toward a steep embankment near Forest Service Road 51.
Cartwright told the OSP that he left on foot, traveling along Forest Service Road 5125 for approximately 14 miles before emerging from the forest near Interstate 84 about nine miles from La Grande.
The OSP estimates that this route of travel from his vehicle was at elevations from approximately 5,000 feet to 6,500 feet as he crossed snowy mountain peaks and back down to Interstate 84. Cartwright was able to flag down an unidentified passing motorist who provided him with a ride to his home in La Grande. Cartwright’s vehicle was later located by OSP.
The initial investigation has revealed Cartwright may have encountered a problem with his navigational GPS system and was routed off of State Route 244 onto Forest Service Road 51 where he traveled approximately 12.5 miles before turning onto Forest Service Road 5125. He traveled an additional nine miles on Forest Service Road 5125 before his vehicle combination spun out and began to slide toward the steep embankment along the shoulder of the road. This area is a remote and mountainous location that has very limited, if any, cellular service.
