Missing Post Falls men found on Moon Pass
WALLACE – Within the span of 48-hours, Shoshone County Search and Rescue personnel responded to three separate incidents across the county last week– all of them ending with everyone getting home safe.
The first incident occurred on Dec. 20, when Deputies with the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office located and rescued two Post Falls men who had been reported missing out of Benewah County since Dec. 19.
SCSO Undersheriff Holly Lindsey reported to the News-Press that one of the men was extricated via helicopter, courtesy of Two-Bear Air out of Montana. The other man and accompanying dogs were transported off the pass by SCSO deputies via snowmobiles.
Both the men and dogs suffered no injuries as a result of being stranded, but the male picked up by helicopter was found to be suffering from a preexisting health condition and was taken to Shoshone Medical Center in Kellogg for treatment.
Originally reported by the St. Maries Gazette, The Benewah County Sheriff’s Office received a missing persons report on Dec. 19 regarding 49-year-old Donald Peterson and 49-yar-old Johnathan Manning.
A relative of Peterson’s made the report and told BCSO that Peterson had traveled to Benewah County the previous day with Manning, but had not returned from the trip.
“Mr. Peterson was recently released from the hospital after having several heart-related surgeries,” BCSO Detective Mike Richardson told the Gazette. “He was traveling here to inquire about a job he was interested in. His doctors didn’t want him to drive by himself, so Mr. Manning went with him to assist.”
After being informed by family members that there was a possibility that the men could be in the southern parts of Shoshone County, SCSO Captain Jeremy Groves went out Thursday morning to search the Avery/Calder areas of the county. For six hours, Groves searched the St. Joe region and found no sign until he decided to check up Moon Pass.
Coming up from the Avery side, he noticed a set of tire tracks going into tunnel 4, but none coming back. Peterson and Manning were believed to have been driving a red 2011 Ford F-150 pickup truck.
Groves followed the tracks all the way up to the tunnel when heavy snow forced him to turn back. He then returned to the Sheriff’s Office in Wallace to get more searchers and snowmobiles to traverse the hazardous terrain from the North side.
By 3:33 p.m., the rescue team had located the missing men with their two dogs stranded in the snow north of the Loop Creek drainage turn-off.
The reasoning for their trek up Moon Pass is unknown.
Lindsey gave a shout out on the SCSO Facebook page to those involved with the rescue.
“A big thank you goes out to Sheriff Gunderson, Captain Groves and Detective Lee for putting in a eighteen hour day to get these gentlemen home safely.”
It was during the Moon Pass rescue operation on Dec. 20 that SCSO received another report of two individuals stranded in the wilderness.
The report came in from officials at Spokane International Airport, who stated that a small single-engine plane with two occupants experienced mechanical issues mid-flight. These issues forced the pilot to land the plane at the remote Magee Airstip– located roughly 33 miles northwest of Prichard in the Coeur d’Alene National Forest.
The occupants of the plane were able to contact Spokane International via radio and call for help. While they waited for rescue, the two men found shelter in the old Magee Ranger Station.
Volunteers with SCSR eventually made their way through the wilderness and found the uninjured men in the early hours of Dec. 21.
Then on Dec. 22, SCSO was contacted regarding lost/overdue snowmobilers in the Clarkia area of the county. The reporting party explained that two separate groups of 3 people each had not returned when they headed out to different locations. Fortunately for everyone involved, all riders were located later that day, safe and sound.
Looking back on these incidents, Groves wishes to remind those going out into the winter wilderness of a few safety tips.
“Now that winter has slowly crept up, this is a good time to make sure all proper safety and winter gear is in order,” he said. “It is recommended to travel or recreate in groups or leave a known travel route or return time with someone, so in the event something happens, first responders have as much information as possible. It is also important to remember that normal summer time travel routes may be closed or not maintained for winter travel.”
For example, Moon Pass (the scene of the first Search and Rescue incident) is closed to vehicles this time of the year. Those who choose to ignore these closures could be charged or face financial penalties if rescue teams have to respond and find them past vehicle barricades.
Groves also gave a big thanks to all those involved with the operations.
“The Sheriff’s Office would like to thank District 1 Fire, Two Bear Air, Silver Valley Search and Rescue and all the volunteers that responded during these incidents over the weekend including Bruce Vanbroeke, Rick Smith,
Preston Elliott, and Caden Crandall.”