Lost ATVer found in E. Fort Rock OHV area
An ATV rider became separated from the rest of his group Sunday afternoon and got lost in the large East Fort Rock off-road area southeast of Bend, prompting friends to begin a search and later call for Deschutes County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue to assist. Officials say two fellow riders found him a few hours later, cold but otherwise alright.
County 911 dispatchers got a call around 8:40 p.m. from Marcy Arellano, 32, of Redmond, from the Forest Road 2510 staging area, advising a fellow rider who was part of their party had become lost, said sheriff’s Deputy Jim Whitcomb, assistant SAR coordinator.
Arellano told the dispatcher they had last spoken to Julio Medllin, 33, of Bend, about five hours earlier by cell phone. At that time, she said, his ATV had about a half-tank of gas and he mentioned he was lost.
Medellin was reported to be wearing jeans and a T-shirt and had no food or water, Whitcomb said.
Dispatchers were able to “ping” Medellin’s cellphone, indicating a possible location shortly before 9 p.m., the last time his phone was used.
Around 10:30 p.m., a U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officer responded to the area where OHV Trail 83 intersections Forest Road 500, at south Sand Springs, but was unable to find Medllin.
Around 11 p.m., eight county SAR members headed into the area, four on ATVs and four searching the area’s roads, Whitcomb said.
About a half-hour later, Arellano reported that two of the group’s ATV riders, who had continued to search, had found Medellin. She said all three riders returned to the 2510 staging area shortly after midnight.
Whitcomb said Medellin – who did not have a map with him – had ventured away from the rest of the group and became lost, eventually going in circles trying to return to the staging area.
Medellin’s ATV had run out of gas, the deputy said, and the two fellow riders who found him supplied fuel and helped him return to the staging area. Medellin was “in good condition, although he was very cold,” Whitcomb said.
