NEVADA CITY, CA – Three Nevada County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) deputies were hailed heroes earlier this week by representatives of the California Gold Country Region of the American Red Cross, who stopped by the Sheriff’s Office to meet and thank the deputies for their actions in person and to present them with a certificate of appreciation.
Their gratitude extends from an incident that occurred back on Aug. 28 when an American Red Cross volunteer transporting supplies from Yuba City to Reno, Nevada (who was not from the area), became lost and never made it to his intended destination. After no contact with the volunteer for nearly 12 hours, their team contacted NCSO for help and to file a missing person’s report at approximately 9:22 p.m.
Three NCSO deputies, Bryce Bouchard, Charles Raban and Kayla Ramos, immediately launched the search efforts. Through their investigation, they determined the volunteer had left his cell phone at a hotel in Yuba City and then tracked the vehicle’s GPS coordinates to a remote, rugged area off Lazy Dog Road in Nevada City. Using the department’s Jeep Wrangler for off-roading needs, a search on dirt trails carried on into the night and the volunteer and his disabled vehicle were successfully located on the side of a cliff at approximately 2 a.m. that next morning.
“On behalf of the California Gold Country Region of the American Red Cross, we extend our deepest appreciation for your extraordinary support in locating a lost Red Cross volunteer and vehicle in the woods of Nevada County,” said Nuriddin Ziyadinov, Regional Chief Executive. “Your swift response, dedication, and commitment to public safety were instrumental in ensuring a safe outcome.”
The Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the American Red Cross for their recognition and thank Deputies Bouchard, Raban, and Ramos, for their due diligence in bringing the volunteer to safety.