Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2007 • Lost hunter found

Publisher’s note: This story originally appeared in the Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2007, edition of the Lassen County Times.

Eight volunteer Search and Rescue members didn’t hesitate to head into the woods to search for an overdue hunter. Fortunately, the man walked out of his hunting area unharmed.

Around 1:30 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 12 the Lassen County Search and Rescue responded to the call that Michael Freeman, 51, was missing in the Swain Mountain area, north of Westwood.

Hunting partner, Ray Tonkin, reported Freeman missing.

According to Freeman, after he was located, he took a bear with his bow at approximately 7 p.m. on Thursday evening and got lost sometime after that.

According to a press release by Lassen County Undersheriff Silas Bolinger, “When contacted, Mr. Freeman was in good condition. The bear did not fare so well.”

Search and Rescue Commander Bob Trussel was one of the eight volunteers. The search was Trussell’s 900th response, spanning 34 years of community volunteer service.

“Lassen County Sheriff’s Office is grateful for the on-going commitment and service of volunteers of Lassen County’s Search and Rescue team. The team has responded every time it has been called, day or night. Many of these volunteers are at work today, after participating in this call out for most of the pre-dawn hours,” Bollinger said around 1 p.m. Friday, Aug. 24.