Okaloosa sheriff's deputies, K-9 locate missing Laurel Hill area resident

Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office deputies Derek York, left, and Steve Richards and K-9 Ranger located a Laurel Hill area woman with dementia who'd been missing for almost four hours and returned her to her family. Area residents with family members who may be unable to identify themselves or where they're from may sign up for the Take Me Home program, which helps officers locate missing people. (Editor's Note: The OCSO provided a photo of the missing woman, but we have decided not to publish it since she did nothing wrong and the family requested that we not use it.)

LAUREL HILL — The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office was successful Tuesday night in locating an 86-year-old with dementia who had wandered from her house near Laurel Hill, just south of the Alabama state line.

The woman had been missing a little over three hours when the K-9 Unit arrived to search.

Deputy Derek York and K-9 Ranger initiated a track, accompanied by Deputy Steve Richards, and located the lady deep in the woods about 30 minutes after deputies arrived.

Due to dropping temperatures, she was very cold and a little scratched up from the briars, but otherwise okay.

Take Me Home program

The OSCO offers a free program called “Take Me Home” to help make it easier to get individuals home who may have trouble communicating their personal information and address.

Take Me Home program is a database of persons who may need assistance due to special needs. Database information includes a picture, demographic information, and at least three caregiver contacts.

If an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office Deputy encounters someone who cannot identify themselves, where they belong or if they are in a crisis, the deputy searches for the individual by name, physical description, age, sex, or agency in the Take Me Home Program database. With the information at hand, the officer can appropriately assist the person.

The database is maintained by the OSCO, Bridgeway Center, the Mental Health Association, and the Okaloosa County School District.

Registration forms are available online at http://www.sheriff-okaloosa.org/resources/take-me-home-program/.       

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Okaloosa sheriff's deputies, K-9 locate missing Laurel Hill area resident