Photo: Washington County Sheriff’s Office
BUXTON – The Washington County Sheriff’s Office says a 9-year-old boy who went missing while camping with his family at Stub Stewart State Park was quickly located with the help of a K9 tracking team Thursday night.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, a boy named Matthew was camping with his family at Stub Stewart State Park north of Buxton when he was reported missing on Thursday, July 23.
Drawing resources and assistance from Banks Fire District 13, Metro West Ambulance, the Washington County Consolidated Communications Agency (WCCCA), Hillsboro Police Department, and and Oregon State police, the boy was eventually found by a K9 tracking team from Hillsboro Police Department.
Hillsboro Police Department officer Mike Lee, K9 Oso, and Matthew. Photo: Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
The boy had apparently been riding his bike when he went missing, and was located between Highway 47 and the Clayhill horse staging area in a wooded area of the park, according to a map of the search and rescue operation from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
[We rely on subscribers to keep the lights on at the Banks Post. Support us with a digital subscription: Click here to start]
“Special thanks to HPD Officer Lee and K9 Oso for tracking and locating him,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a post on their Twitter page.
According to the Hillsboro Police Department, Officer Mike Lee is a veteran K9 handler, having spent 14 years in the role, the last two and a half years with Oso, a five-year-old Dutch Shepherd.
“On behalf of Banks Fire District 13, we would like to extend a huge thank you to all agencies involved in helping return this boy to his family,” The Banks Fire District said in a statement. “Multiple deputies from Washington County Sheriff’s Office, troopers from Oregon State Police, North Plains Police, Hillsboro Police, Metro West Ambulance, Park Rangers from Stub Stewart State Park, and the wonderful dispatchers at WCCCA. We are proud to work with such wonderful agencies and people. This was definitely a team effort with a great outcome.”
This article has been updated with additional information from the Banks Fire District.
Chas Hundley is the editor of the Banks Post and sister news publications the Gales Creek Journal and the Salmonberry Magazine. He grew up in Gales Creek and has a cat.
