YAVAPAI COUNTY JEEP POSSE

Please note: For additional detailed examples of the types of activities that the Jeep Posse does (with pictures) see the 2003 year.

The Jeep Posse had a very eventful end of 2004 and beginning of 2005, assisting the Sheriff's Office with multiple searches, rescues, flood evacuations, and search/recovery. This write up will start with December 29, 2004, to reflect the flow and amount of activity in which the Posse members were involved.

December 29, 2004 - Bloody Basin Rescue

At 0945 hrs, Sheriff Forest Deputy 403 requested assistance to rescue a man who was stuck in the mud/flood waters 8-10 miles in on Bloody Basin Road/FR677. Four driver/observer (JP) units responded. The weather was a critical factor, with continuing heavy rains making any driving hazardous, and causing the Forest Deputy and SAR teams to carefully determine the best route to try and reach the subject. While enroute, the Jeep Posse's mission was changed to:

Dec. 29, 2004 - Flood Evacuation in Black Canyon City
At 1130 hours, Forest Deputy 403 diverted the JP units to assist in evacuating over 100 residents in Black Canyon City due to the rising waters of the Agua Fria River and Black Canyon Creek. (At the same time, flood evacs were either on stand-by or in progress in the Verde Valley and Rim Rock.) After the evac's Jeep Posse members provided roving security patrols.

The stuck/stranded subject on Bloody Basin Road, who had been determined by the Deputy to be in no immediate distress, was later rescued by DPS Ranger Helicopter during a break in the weather.

December 30, 2004 - Walker Search
In the evening of Dec. 29, the Jeep Posse was notified of a search at 0600 12/30/04 in the Walker/Potato Patch area, for a lost hunter. Three driver/observer (JP) units responded to search for this subject, but were diverted at 0900 hrs to assist with:

Dec. 30, 2004 - Granite Creek/Lost Canoeists Search/Recovery

Prescott Police, Fire and SAR units including the Back Country, Search Management, 4x4 West, Quad, K-9 (search dog) Units and the Jeep Posse 4x4 and Communications & CCV searched for 2 lost young men in Granite Creek. Three men had put their canoe into the high and fast waters and they capsized, with one subject swimming out. Later that day, the SAR teams located and recovered the 2 victims, who had drowned.

The lost hunter from the Walker Search walked out on his own.

January 1, 2005 - Mint Creek/Williamson Valley Search
At 1835 hrs, the Sheriff's Office requested assistance (6 driver/observer ­ JP units) to search for an overdue woman and child hiking near Mint Creek. Several minutes after the initial call, the search was cancelled when the subjects were located.

January 4, 2005 - Flood Evacuation of Lakeside Mobile Park, Prescott

At 1340 hours, Sheriff Forest Patrol Deputy McFarland requested 2 driver/observer units to assist him with the immediate evacuation of a mobile park/campground north of Prescott. Willow Lake was rising behind this housing area.

Two units quickly responded, assisted with the evacuation, and were completed by 1510 hours.

January 5, 2005 - Rescue on FR 181, NE of Perkinsville

At 0820 hours, Sheriff Forest Patrol Deputy Armstrong requested assistance to rescue 2 young men who were stuck with their vehicle on FR 181, between Perkinsville Road and the Sycamore wilderness/Henderson Flat area. Four driver/observer (JP) teams responded to the assembly point in Chino Valley to meet up and travel the icy, snow-covered and muddy back roads together for safety.

The two young men, both 20 years old and from Camp Verde, had gone camping Monday and were now stuck due to the strong winter storm for the past two days. They were last known to be in good condition, but cold.

While the four 4x4 units were enroute to the area on Perkinsville Road, Deputy Armstrong requested the Air Posse to send two aircraft to the area to locate the subjects. Weather had cleared enough to allow them to safely fly the area and soon the Jeep Posse had GPS coordinates to guide them to the exact location.

Communications was maintained throughout the mission between the four field units and the call-out coordinator at home via the SO Posse Repeater and cell phone, and with Deputy Armstrong via cell phone.

At 1200, the four JP units reached the two subjects, who were in good condition. They all carefully made their way back out via the Drake Road, which was also very wet and icy. By 1500 hours, all units were back in Prescott and the two men were transported to the Sheriff's Office to meet up with Deputy Armstrong and one of the subject's fathers.

January 9, 2005 - Crown King/Cleator area "almost" search

At 1130 hours, Forest Deputy Mullinnix requested 2 driver/observer (JP) units to assist her in locating a man traveling from Crown King to I-17, and who failed to show up. He showed up shortly thereafter and the Jeep Posse teams were released.

January 10, 2005 - Thumb Butte Loop "almost" rescue

At 1020 hrs, Sheriff Forest Deputy Mullinnix asked for 4 JP units to assist in the rescue of someone who was stuck in the mud/snow on Thumb Butte Loop. Request was cancelled within 15 minutes.

January 11, 2005 - Flood Evacuation Stand-By

1054 hours: The Captain put the entire Posse on stand-by for possible assistance with Flood Evacuation in Black Canyon City, Verde River/Valley area, and/or the Prescott area. At 1230, 3 members of the Communications Squad responded to Cottonwood to staff the YCSO Mobile Command Post, with a relief shift keeping communications going until morning for the Verde River areas that were evacuated or standing by to evac.

January 12, 2005 - Bloody Basin/I-17 Search

At 1405 hours, Forest Deputy McFarland requested the Jeep Posse's assistance in a search for one or more people lost and stuck in the Bloody Basin area. Five driver/observer teams (JP units) and the CCV/Comm Squad responded. The Yavapai County Air Group had been searching all morning from the air to locate the vehicle/subjects. When they were spotted in the early afternoon, the Air Group was able to direct rescuers from the Jeep Posse to the subjects and they were brought out to basecamp at 1630hrs. Sgt McFarland placed one of the subjects under arrest after it was found that he had an outstanding felony warrant.

January 28, 2005 - Groom Creek area search

At 0930 hours, The Captain received a request for assistance from the Forest Deputy to search for 2 Prescott Valley men who were overdue after they went for a drive on Walker Loop on Wednesday, Jan 26. Ten driver/observer (JP) teams and three Communications members to staff the SO Mobile Command Post responded. The large search area (looking for the vehicle/subjects) which included Prescott to Crown King and the Walker/Big Bug area, was scoured by the Jeep Posse, 4x4 and Quad Units, and the Search Management Unit, while the Air Group searched from above.

At 1430 hours, the Air Group spotted the subject's vehicle up on Big Bug Mesa. One subject was contacted attempting to walk out and was picked up by the Jeep Posse unit about 5 miles from his friend and the vehicle, which had become stuck in the mud on 1/26. The two men had taken a wrong turn on Walker Loop, and had gotten lost/stuck in the Big Bug Mesa terrain. By 1540, both subjects were transported out through 5 points and to Costco, where they were checked by CYFD medical. Both were cold, tired and hungry, but otherwise OK. They had gone out driving in the wilderness with no cell phone or supplies.

February 11 and 12, 2005 - Black Canyon City Flood Evacuations

With more heavy rains in Arizona, the Agua Fria River and Black Canyon Ck were rising once again (as well as other area rivers, Verde etc.) At 1600 hrs, 14 Posse members, including the Comm Squad and Command & Communications Vehicle (CCV) responded to assist the Sheriff's Office. About half of the Posse members stayed through the night and were relieved the next morning, with the mission completed about 1000 hrs. Other SAR volunteer groups assisted in other areas, esp. along the Verde River.

February 13, 2005 - Palace Station Search

Four Posse members (2 JP teams) responded to the Palace Station area off Senator Hwy to help the Sheriff's Office look for a man who had been missing overnight. He was quickly found riding in a pick-up truck, driving out! (The pick-up was giving him a ride).

February 14, 2005 - Constellation Rd/Wickenburg Search

At 2040 hours, Sheriff Forest Deputy McFarland requested assistance searching for an elderly man who had wandered off near Constellation Road, outside of Wickenburg. While our search units and CCV (Command/Communications Vehicle) were enroute, the Forest Deputy called on the Sheriff's Jeep Posse Repeater (radio) with a "stand down" (cancel) as Wickenburg SAR units had located the subject at approx. 2230 hrs.

February 17, 2005 - Williamson Valley/Inscription Cyn Area Search

At 2300 hrs, the Sheriff's Office requested help in the search for a young woman near Inscription Canyon. They had been looking for her for several hours, after her family reported that she had called on her cell phone and said that she had an accident, and was complaining of head pain. While 4 driver/observer (JP) teams and the 3 communications personnel to staff the MCP were enroute, the Sheriff Deputies were able to locate the subject and transport her for medical care. All SAR teams were cancelled at 2338 hrs.

February 18, 2005 - More Flooding in the Verde Valley - possible evacuations

The entire Posse was placed on stand-by by the Captain at 1640 hours, for possible flood evacuation in the Verde Valley and Black Cyn City. Three Communication Squad members reported to Cottonwood to staff the Sheriff's Mobile Command Post.

March 1, 2005 - Wilhoit area search

At 0735 hours, Sheriff Forest Deputy Mullinnix requested the Jeep Posse, including communications and the CCV, to assist in a search for a man who had been missing for several days. The subject was known to go out "prospecting", we had his vehicle description, but no concrete idea of where he might be. The Posse drove all the back roads in the Hassayampa/Wilhoit/SR 89 area. The Sheriff's Office discontinued the search efforts at approx 1430 hrs.

March 3, 2005 - Yarnell Rescue

At 1635 hours, SO Deputy Mullinnix requested 2 driver/observer (JP) teams to assist in rescuing an older man near Yarnell who was stuck and needed to be "pulled out". When the units arrived, they found that the subject was "stuck" on a large hill and could no longer walk, and was getting cold, tired and panicky as darkness fell. Also, while the subject could be seen on the side of the mountain, the units we not able to get to him. Quad units could also not get in to his location, so DPS Ranger helicopter was sent to pick him up.

March 14, 2005 - Verde River Kayakers Rescue

At 0528 hours, Sheriff Forest Deputy Armstrong requested 4 driver/observer (JP) units and communications personnel to staff the Mobile Command Post to join a search in the Camp Verde/Verde River area. Two kayakers did not arrive at their designated pick-up spot along the Verde River the previous evening. The 4 JP units joined volunteers from Verde SAR, 4x4 East, and Back Country, Quad & Search Management Units in a search along the river banks and accessing various points of the Verde River from the back roads.

The Yavapai County Search and Rescue units met up with 2 NAU geological students who were rafting down the Verde River that morning, and asked them to keep an eye out for the 2 missing kayakers. At approx. 1230, the NAU students located the two search subjects, who had capsized near Beasley Flats, losing all their belongings, were able to make it to shore (thanks to their personal floatation devices), and spent the night in a cave.