VCSAR 3 Statistics

Summary of selected recent operations

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05/31/10, Monday, 21:10 - 22:30 Hours
Two Lost Hikers
Simi Valley
Two teenage girls went hiking in the hills above Simi Valley but were unable to return to the trailhead before dark. They did not have flashlights. They called 911 on their mobile phone and the team was called out to located the girls. The girls were found in good condition on a fire road and were returned to their vehicle at the trailhead.

03/30/10, Tuesday, 17:30 - 20:30 Hours
Missing Man
Channel Islands Marina
A 57-year-old man went missing from his boat that he was living on in the Channel Islands Marina. The subject was last seen on 03/24/10. The dive team searched the marina and a side-scanning sonar was utilized. The East Valley Team was called out to search all the marina slips and along the jetties. UPDATE 04/03/10: The body of the victim was found partially lodged beneath a dock.

03/17/10, Wednesday, 23:00 - 03/18/10, Thursday, 02:30 Hours
Missing Mountain Biker
Newbury Park
A 50-year-old male mountain biker was reported missing. The team was called out to search for the mountain biker. The Sheriff's helicopter spotted the man along the Portero Open Spaces trail deceased from what was later determined to be a heart attack. The team assisted the coroner with the recovery.

03/10/10, Wednesday, 19:20 - 20:45 Hours
Lost Hiker
Los Robles Trail, Thousand Oaks
A male hiker called 911 to report that he was lost on the Los Robles Trail and was unable to find his way back to the trailhead. The team was called out and found the hiker in good condition and brought him back to the trailhead.

02/11/10, Thursday, 20:20 - 22:10 Hours
Missing Man
Northeast Simi Valley
A 24-year-old auto repossion employee hiked into the hills in the northeast area of Simi Valley looking of possible vehicle. The employee got lost and injured his ankle. The East Valley team along with the Sheriff's helicopter were called out to search for the man. The man was found in Las Llajas canyon by the helicopter and was airlifted out.

01/21/10, Thursday, 20:20 - 01/22/10, Friday, 14:00 Hours
Missing Hiker
Wildwood Park, Thousand Oaks
A 41-year-old hiker went into the closed Wildwood Park to check out the waterfalls during a rain storm on Wednesday, 01/20/10. He was reported missing on Thursday evening. The East Valley team began searching the park and along the creek at night and in heavy rain. At day break members of the Upper Ojai, Fillmore and Canine teams along with the subject's friends and family joined the search effort. Swiftwater rescue technicians suited up to search in the creek. The subject was found by a family friend in the creek. The subject apparently slipped into the rain swollen creek.

01/11/10, Monday,18:50 - 19:00 Hours
Two Stuck Hikers
Mugu State Park, Chumash Trail
Two hikers were caught on the trail after dark without flashlights. They used the light of their cell phone to attempt to light up the trail. The hikers lost the trail and ended up at the edge of a bluff. The hikers called 911. The team was activated along with a Sheriff's helicopter. The copter located the subjects and airlifted them off the bluff.

01/09/10, Saturday, 06:00 - 18:00 Hours
Missing Woman
Malibu Creek State Park
The Ventura County teams were requested to again assist in the search for Matrice Richardson. Over 300 searchers from throughout the Southern California assisted in the search. The East Valley Team was airlifted by LA County Air Rescue 5 to a steep brush covered ridge above Mulholland Hwy. The team search an half mile square mile of steep brush covered ridges, drainages, and slopes. The subject was not found in this effort. View photos of the search in the operations gallery.

12/18/09, Friday, 03:15 - 13:00 Hours
Suicidal Subject
Mugu Rock
At 01:00 hours the Sheriff's Department was notified of a vehicle parked at Mugu Rock belonging to a suicidal subject. Mugu Rock is above the Pacific Ocean. The East Valley team was activated to search for the subject. Items from the subject were found in the rocks near the waters edge. Members from the dive team entered the ocean and found the subject in 14 feet of water.

11/26/09, Thursday, 18:45 - 19:50 Hours
Overdue Hiker
Mugu State Park
A 63-year-old female hiker did not return from her hike. The East Valley team was called out to search for the hiker. The sheriff's helicopter spotted the subject on a trail and picked her up. She was not injured.

10/09/09, Friday, 08:30 - 15:00 Hours
Gunshot Victim
Pacific Coast Highway, Mugu State Park
During the early morning hours, a brief vehicle pursuit occurred after California Highway Patrol officers attempted to stop a vehicle for a stop sign violation in Camarillo. The driver evaded the officers before colliding with a guardrail on Adohr Lane. A female passenger in the vehicle told officers that there was a gunshot victim that the driver shot prior to the pursuit. The East Valley team was a requested to search several miles of the PCH for the victim. View photos of the search in the operations gallery. UPDATE 10/09/09: The body of the victim was found along the coast north of Ventura miles from the original search area.

09/26/09, Saturday, 06:30 - 17:00 Hours
Missing Woman
Malibu Creek State Park
The Malibu Mountain Rescue Team requested the Ventura County teams to assist with a search for a missing 24-year-old woman, Matrice Richardson, who was last seen after being released from the Los Angeles County Sherriff's Lost Hills station on Sept. 18. The East Valley team along with a large number of ground searchers, canine search teams, motorized units, and equestrian units search the area around Malibu Creek and Las Virgenes Road. The subject was not found during this operational period and remains missing.

09/22/09, Tuesday, 12:00 Hours - 09/24/09, Thursday, 06:00 Hours
"Guiberson" Fire Evacuations
Moorpark
The team was activated to assist with evacuations during the Guiberson fire. The team were actively making notifications, patrolling the area, or on standby for immediate response.

09/12/09, Saturday, 12:00 - 20:00 hours, 09/13/09, Sunday, 07:00 - 15:00 Hours
Missing Man
Tapo Canyon Park, Simi Valley
A despondent man's vehicle was found left at a Tapo Canyon Park for over a week. The Ventura County search teams checked the surrounding hillsides by foot, ATV, and with canines for the missing man. The search was suspended until further information is received.

07/26/09, Sunday, 01:50 - 15:00 Hours
Two Overdue ATV Riders
Ballinger, Los Padres National Forest
Two men in their early 20's went for an evening ATV ride out of Ballinger camp ground. When they did not return their friends contacted the Ventura Sheriff's Department. A sheriff's helicopter flew over the area and spotted both ATVs separated by about a mile but no riders. The East Valley and Fillmore teams were activated to search the area by ATVs, motorcycles, and 4X4 vehicles. The two subjects were spotted trying to hike out along a riding trail. They were transported back to the camp. It appeared that both ATVs ran out of fuel. It was decided that it would be best if the search teams recover the ATVs for the subjects as the temperatures were rising. See the Ventura County Sheriff's Media Release (PDF) for more information.

07/23/09, Thursday, 05:00 - 14:00 Hours
Missing Teenage Boy
Los Olivos, Santa Barbara County
A teenage boy went for a bike ride on Wednesday, July 22, at 06:00 hours, in the Figueroa Mountain area of Santa Barbara County. After not returning home by noon his brother went looking for him and found the subject's bike at a trail head. The brother searched part of the trail for the subject, but with the temperature over 90 degrees contacted the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Department. The Santa Barbara SAR team searched until 02:00 hours. The Ventura County SAR teams including the East Valley, Fillmore, and Upper Ojai teams, were requested to assist Santa Barbara. The teams searched the area along the trail. The subject was located deceased in a creek bed around 09:00 hours. See the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Media Release (PDF) for more information.

05/07/09, Thursday, 23:30 Hours - 05/08/09, Friday, 08:00 Hours
Fire Evacuations
Santa Barbara
The team was activated to assist Santa Barbara SAR with evacuations during the a large fire in the foothills.

04/18/09, Saturday, 20:00 - 02:30 Hours, 04/19/09, Sunday, 18:00 - 19:00 Hours
Missing Elderly Man
Thousand Oaks Area
A 90-year-old male went missing from a senior home in Thousand Oaks. The East Valley team along with the Canine and DART teams were called out to search for the missing man in the City of Thousand Oaks. The 30 searchers swept the area around the home. The search was suspended at 02:00 hours. After receiving reports of possible sightings of the missing man, team was re-activated on Sunday, April 19, at 18:00 hours. The initial responding team members searched around the location of the possible sighting and found the subject in a heavy vegetation area. The subject was responsive and was transported to a hospital for further evaluation. View photo of the find in the operations gallery.