A Stony Point man might owe his life to some modern technology.
On Wednesday at approximately 7:17 PM Alexander County Sheriff’s Deputies were called to a residence located off of Beam Lane in the Stony Point in reference to a missing person. Arriving officers were met by family members who reported that a 78-year-old male left the residence alone on an ATV at approximately 4:30 PM and had not returned home. Due to temperatures in the 30’s and the rains at the time, as well as the missing person’s age and medical problems, a search effort was coordinated by local first responders to begin searching the nearly 100 acre property. Alexander County EMS, Alexander County Rescue Squad, Stony Point Fire Department, Alexander County Emergency Management, along with Alexander County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the search. A K-9 from Iredell County Sheriff’s Office was on standby for the search.
The search effort began by utilizing the Alexander County Sheriff’s Office recently purchased drone. This drone has thermal-imaging capabilities. At approximately 9:54 PM, the drone’s thermal imaging indicated a heat source down an embankment in a wooded area. The Alexander County Rescue Squad ATV Team was dispatched and rescued the elderly male and began providing first aid. The victim was transported to Iredell Memorial Hospital.
Sheriff’s Office Major Jason Moore said this morning, “I don’t know if this man would have made it overnight without him being located with the drone, I really think it saved his life.” Moore said 50-75 people were involved in the search.
Sheriff Bowman would like to thank the following agencies for their assistance: Alexander County EMS, Alexander County Rescue Squad, Stony Point Fire Department, Alexander County Emergency Management, and Iredell County Sheriff’s Office.