Stafford, VA. The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office drone team assisted in locating a male subject who got lost in the woods on Saturday evening near McDuff Park in the southern end of the county.

On October 20, 2018, deputies responded to Michael Scott Lane after a male subject told Dispatch that he was lost in the woods and his cell phone battery was draining quickly. While on the line with Dispatch, the connection was lost.

Several deputies began searching through the woods for the lost subject. They located the subject and discovered he was not wearing any shoes and complained of being cold and dehydrated. Deputy Kellam hoisted the subject onto his back and began carrying him through the woods.

At approximately 8:40 p.m., the drone team was called to help guide them out of the woods. The drone was able to direct the deputies and lost person to the river to wait for a boat from Stafford County Fire and Rescue. The drone hovered above them so that Fire and Rescue would be aware of their exact location. The lost person was loaded onto the boat and brought to safety.