A 95-year-old New Vineyard man was rescued Thursday after he was found with the aid of a police dog about a mile from his home in the woods, according to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department.
Around 8 p.m., the man’s daughter reported he had wandered away from his home on Taylor Mill Road and she couldn’t find him, said Lt. David Rackliffe. The name of the man and his daughter were not available.
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Rackliffe said that Cpl. Nate Bean and Deputy Nick Zecher, along with Bean’s police dog, Diesel, went to search for the man. After about an hour, Diesel found the man in a marshy area in the woods with his cat, which had apparently followed him from the house to the woods.
“He had fallen in a marshy area and was wet and unable to get himself back up,” said Rackliffe.
He said the man may not have survived the night in his condition if he had not been found. Zecher carried the man out of the woods, who was examined by NorthStar ambulance and released at the scene.
While not connected to the search and rescue of the New Vineyard man, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department also announced this week that it will be launching a program to conduct routine welfare checks on elderly area residents who ask to be part of the program.
The program, Elder Check, involves patrol deputies making routine home checks on the older residents who live unassisted and would benefit from occasional checks, according to Sheriff Scott Nichols.
Nichols said in a press release that one goal of the program is to protect elderly people from scam artists, to check on the safety of the home and to make sure that they are not victims of elder abuse or medication theft.
Rackliffe said elderly people frequently do not want to feel like they are imposing on others, which can keep them from reporting concerns with their welfare.
“Having someone come to their home that they can talk to can help,” said Rackliffe.
The program is for seniors who live in towns that don’t have their own police departments and are patrolled by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department. Franklin County towns excluded from the program are Farmington, Wilton, Rangeley, Carrabassett Valley and Jay, which have their own police departments.
Residents can call the sheriff’s department at 778-2680 or at 1-800-773-2680.
Kaitlin Schroeder — 861-9252
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