CASART - 23rd Activation

WOODHULL SEARCH & RESCUE
Oneida County, NY 11/08-10/08

CASART was activated for a search and rescue operation in the vicinity of Woodhull Lake in Oneida County on Sunday 11/09/08 by DEC Dispatch at Raybrook.  A 76 year old man, John Lawler or subject was last seen on Saturday 11/08/08 by his hunting party in the woods between Woodhull Lake and Blood Sucker Pond.  He was reported missing around 12:00 noon on Saturday 11/08/08 by his hunting party when their efforts to find him failed.  Temperatures were in the 30s throughout the three (3) day search.  It rained on Saturday, was fair on Sunday and snowed Sunday night and Monday morning.  The Incident Command Post (ICP) was set up at the Otter Lake Fire Station on Rt. 28 in Otter Lake, NY and was also used as the assembly point.  Rangers, State Police and local Police searched Saturday 11/08/08 into the night without a find.  State Police K9 searched Sunday and Monday without an alert and a State Police helicopter flew Sunday and Monday without sighting the subject.

Fourteen (14) CASART members reported to the ICP at 7:30a.m on Sunday 11/09/08, Brian Davies, Jim Holt, Mike Krumme, Greg O’Hara, Bonnie Petty, Phil Petty, Roy Reehil, Mike Romanych, Bill Rockhill, Tom Stimson, Dawn Timm, Eileen Tobin, Henry Weckesser and Bob Wheeler. Crews were formed to conduct Type III searches, searches were run all day and no clues were uncovered.

The search continued on Monday 11/10/08 at 7:00am with Six (6) CASART members, Tina Bradt, Bruce Knudsen, Greg O’Hara, Don Schug, Charles Taylor and Rob Winter reporting to search.  Type III searches were run all morning with no clues uncovered.  Then around 11:15am, the subject was located near the north east shore of Sand Lake just south of Woodhull Lake by Adirondack League Club volunteers searching from a boat.  The subject was in good spirits, mildly hypothermic, partially dehydrated and very hungry.  He was transported by boat across Woodhull Lake to the Wolf Lake Landing on the north east shore of Woodhull Lake where he was picked up by the Old Forge ambulance and transported to St. Luke’s Hospital in Utica.  He was released from the hospital that afternoon.

The terrain was generally gentle with a few short sharp ridges and had a mix of beaver meadows and ponds in open hardwoods with a few thick areas of Spruce trees.

To find out more about the team or to get a membership application write to CASART at P.O. Box 143, Inlet, NY 13360, call us at 315-357-4381, visit our web site at www.casart.org, or send email to webmaster@casart.org.

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