Menu
Rescuers win merit award
Three members of the Elmore County Sheriff's Office and Search and Rescue team have been honored by Sheriff Rick Layher with merit badges for their actions in rescuing three individuals lost in the Mountains in December of 2006.
On Dec. 2, 2006, Sheriff's Deputy Rick Bohling and Search and Rescue members David Kinney and Danny Bond were notified of three missing persons believed to be between Atlanta and Arrowrock Reservoir, somewhere in the vicinity of the Middle Fork of the Boise River.
The three missing persons were reported to have left the Atlanta area and were thought to be traveling to the Boise area, but had not returned when expected.
Temperatures in the higher elevations were well below freezing levels, and several feet of snow on the ground made travel conditions by vehicles hazardous. By the time the call came in, the subjects had been missing and possibly exposed to the elements for 10 hours.
Bohling, Kinney and Bond responded to the Middle Fork area on snowmobiles, searching the Elmore County side of the reservoir with no success. Boise County was notified, but had no one available to respond. The search team, knowing that time was critical and lives were at stake, then made the decision to continue searching into Boise County.
They located the missing vehicle several miles into Boise County, on the North Fork Road, with two of the three reported victims inside. The team quickly assessed the victims and determined they were in need of immediate medical attention.
Having no radio contact at that location, Deputy Bohling had to travel 7 miles to call for LifeFlight.
After the vehicle occupants were flown out for medical treatment, the team continued the search for the third victim who reportedly had set out early that morning on foot, wearing only street clothes and a light jacket, in an attempt to walk 30 miles for assistance.
The rescuers located the third victim 18 miles from the stranded vehicle, 17 hours after he had left the vehicle and still 12 miles from Highway 21 and the help he sought.
He was found in a fetal position in a snow bank, unresponsive but conscious. Rescuers acted immediately, warming him by building a fire, and one of the rescuers quite literally gave the victim the coat off of his back. The victim was then transported by Snowmobile to Highway 21 where an ambulance was waiting. Had Bohling, Kinney, and Bond not found the victim, officials believe, he would have died.
"Deputy Rick Bohling, and Search and Rescue members Dave Kinney and Danny Bond not only did their jobs, but selflessly served their fellow man by averting what could have been a terrible tragedy. Their dedication to service, determination, and perseverance led them beyond jurisdiction lines, to act above and beyond the call of duty. Undoubtedly, theirs was a meritorious act deserving of this award," a Sheriff's Office spokesperson said, adding, "while the recipients of this award were the ones directly responsible for the physical rescue of the victims, the successful rescue and saving of lives would not have been possible without the dedication of all members involved in this rescue who provided the resources and support to the search team."
In Elmore County law enforcement, recipients of a merit badge must demonstrate "an outstanding level of service, or set an exemplary standard of achievement, and have brought honor or benefit to the citizens of Elmore County, Idaho."