Lost Jonesport man found after 3 hours
3/5/09 | 7 comments

Lost Jonesport man found after 3 hours


By BDN Staff
BDN Staff

JONESPORT, Maine — A 76-year-old Jonesport man who suffers from dementia was found safe Thursday after getting lost in the woods near his home, according to the Maine Warden Service.

Robert Ouellette, 76, of Jonesport was driving a tractor on his woodlot at about 4 p.m. when the vehicle stalled and got stuck in the snow, Deborah Turcotte, spokeswoman for the service, said in a press release issued late Thursday night.

Ouellette left the truck to head back home, but instead walked in the wrong direction and headed farther into the woods, she said. Aggravating the situation, he was not dressed for the freezing temperatures since he had been sitting in the enclosed, heated tractor.

When Ouellette did not arrive home by 5:30 p.m., his family began looking for him. Unsuccessful in locating him, they notified the Maine Warden Service at about 7 p.m., Turcotte said.

Four game wardens and four deputies from the Washington County Sheriff’s Department as well as members of the Jonesport Fire Department helped search for Ouellette.

Because of the packed, crusty surface of the snow in the area, Ouellette was able to walk on top of it and did not leave any tracks for searchers to follow, according to Game Warden Wade Carter.

The elderly man came upon a house with a light on inside, and a woman there called authorities to say Ouellette was fine at about 8:30 p.m., according to Turcotte. Carter said Ouellette did suffer extremely cold feet.

Not registered? Click here
E-mail this
Print this
Guidelines for posting on bangordailynews.com

Bangordailynews.com is pleased to offer a forum for readers to react to our stories, discuss them and provide additional information. We are reluctant to delete comments, but do reserve that right for those who abuse our forum. For more on using this site, please see our terms of service.

The primary rule here is pretty simple: Treat others with the same respect you'd want for yourself. What does that mean specifically? Here are some guidelines (see more):

Comments
7 comments on this item
On 3/6/09 at 8:15 AM, coastal wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Glad he made it out safely. Course you better take whatever Wade Carter says with a grain of salt. If his lips are moving then its a good chance he is not telling the truth.

Report abuse
On 3/6/09 at 8:29 AM, SteveyDee wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

That's Mr Wade carter.

Report abuse
On 3/6/09 at 11:35 AM, captain_obvious wrote: Click here to view hidden comment         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden
On 3/6/09 at 3:49 PM, snowhownd wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

I'd rather freeze doing what I loved (driving a tractor in a woodlot sounds pretty fun) than sit around playing bingo all day in a nursing home even if I would live a little longer that way...

Report abuse
On 3/6/09 at 5:44 PM, LoisGM wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

I'm glad this guy is okay, but he needs to be watched closer. I was told he still drives everyday. Nobody wants to take away his freedoms, but if he got lost in a familiar area he has owned and worked for years, then is he really safe on the roads? If not for his own safety, then think of everyone else on the roads. Who will be responsible?

Report abuse
On 3/7/09 at 12:52 AM, maine78 wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

I have know this man for almost 30yrs, and yes he is getting old but he still can out shine the best of you!! Anyone can get lost on land they are familar with. He is also a vey safe driver and is not a threat to anyone on the road. As we will all see with time, the best of us will go through the same. Lets just be happy he is safe. Thanks.

Report abuse
On 3/9/09 at 7:38 PM, jayneinmaine wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

I bet he is a nice man...but, I think there should be some cognitive testing done at license renewal after the age of 65! You know? It's a safety thing....half of driving is defensive driving anyway. If it was just a matter of course, no one could be offended. You get social security, you get tested for driving! SOME older people who drive really should not be driving but do because there are no stop gap measures....sad.....do you really want your loved one to live the rest of their days knowing that they participated in the death of someone, perhaps a child?

Report abuse
You must be logged in to post a comment. click here to log in.

Powered by: Creative Circle Advertising Solutions, Inc.