Search And Rescue Team Locates Two Stranded Snowmobilers

Cooper Meadow, Ca — Members of the Tuolumne County Search and Rescue Team were able to locate two missing snowmobilers, and return them to their families just in time for Christmas.

On Christmas Eve, the department received a report of two men who had left from the Lelan Meadow area earlier in the afternoon, and failed to return back to the area. The men were identified as 34 year old James Conley of Merced and 33 year old Tom Henson of Brentwood.

At 9:30pm on Christmas Eve, Corporal Kelly Dickson, Sgt. Rick D´Hondt, Jimmy Scruggs and Jeff Perlewitz from the snowmobile rescue unit met up and began the search.

At 3:40am, the searchers located Conley and Henson in the Cooper Meadow area. They had been unable to maneuver their sleds out of the location where they got stuck. Both were reportedly cold but otherwise ok. Search and rescue members were able to eventually free and escort the two back to their families.

Written by BJ Hansen