Search & Rescue, Dec. 8

On December 6th, 2015, at about 0900 hours, the 911 center received a call from Rodney Shields, age 69, from Yoncalla, who said he was injured and lost near Booth Road off Hwy 101 north of Reedsport. GPS info from the cell phone indicated Shields was in the Tahkenitch Lake area. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Team and Marine Patrol deputies responded to the area. Search and Rescue (SAR) team members had to be transported by boat to the area where Shields was located. Shields was located in dense coastal timber and brush and had to be brought out of the area in a rescue litter and then transported back to the dock by boat. It took the SAR Team about 1.5 hours to pack Shields downhill a distance of about 2000 feet. Shields was then transported to Lower Umpqua Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.