Prineville pair rescued after SUV gets stuck in snowbank

A call for help brought a Crook County sheriff’s deputy to the rescue early Tuesday of two Prineville residents whose SUV got stuck in a snowbank in the Ochoco National Forest east of Paulina, deputies said.

The sheriff’s office got the call for a motorist assist around 8:45 p.m. Monday, said Sgt. Dave Dethman.

Ian Ditty, 25, and Melissa Deforest, 19, had gotten their Toyota 4Runner stuck in the snowbank 16 miles east of Paulina, as they were heading toward Mitchell, Dethman said.

The Crook County agency notified the Wheeler County sheriff’s office, since the incident was in that county, but that agency requested Crook County’s assistance, Dethman said.

A Crook County deputy who responded to the area was told Ditty had built a fire and they had some food and water.

The deputy found the pair around 1:45 a.m. on Forest Service Road 1250, about 1 miles from FS Road 38 in Wheeler County, and brought the two back to Prineville.

Dethman said the sheriff’s office wants to remind residents traveling in the Ochoco National Forest to be mindful there are still Forest Service roads with snow on them and to use caution when traveling in the area.