SHALIMAR — Deputies from the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office are being rewarded for their efforts locating an 86-year-old Laurel Hill resident with dementia in December.
For their work as a team in finding the missing woman, Deputy Derek York, K-9 Ranger and Deputy Steven Richards are being awarded the OCSO Life Saving Award. The officers navigated a track over three hours old that had been contaminated by search parties, in heavy woods and night-time conditions. It was already 50 degrees and expected to drop into the low 40s before the night was out.
On Dec. 8, a K-9 unit was requested to assist the woman, who became lost while taking a walk in the area of New Ebenezer Road in Laurel Hill. The female was reported missing by her daughter after she had left the house and failed to return after approximately 30 minutes.
Responding deputies scoured the roadways and areas around the house with no success and requested a K-9 team approximately 1 1⁄2 hours later.
York and Ranger, who had about eight hours total in K-9 training at the time, volunteered and responded to the scene from Fort Walton Beach and were joined by Deputy Steven Richards in their search.
Even though the area had been walked by many others during the search, the K-9 team was still able to obtain her scent and began a trek through the heavily wooded area.
The team continued to follow the woman’s scent, working through challenges like darkness, varying terrain and heavily wooded areas for approximately 30 minutes until York noticed a change in Ranger’s body posture.
Knowing this meant they were getting close, Deputy York called out to the lost woman. They received a faint reply; they called out again and heard another faint reply, After heading toward that reply about 20 yards, Richards found the elderly female stuck in a heavily wooded area and immediately assessed her condition.
She was assisted out of the woods to waiting EMS personnel. After a quick check, she was found to be extremely cold and scratched, but otherwise in good medical condition.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office deputies and K9 earn awards