Woman Jailed After Dramatic Rescue Near Ortega Highway

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — A woman who was rescued Wednesday by a Cal Fire helicopter crew after falling 15 feet from a boulder near Ortega Highway is now in jail on suspicion of second-degree robbery and possession of a stolen vehicle.

Sarah Sitterley's fall around 12:08 p.m. in the 32000 block of Ortega Highway at El Cariso left her stranded and unable to move for several hours before the chopper crew performed a hoist rescue and transported her to a ground ambulance that rushed her to Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar.

Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department characterized her injuries as "moderate."

The 35-year-old checked herself out of the hospital that same day and was picked up by Lake Elsinore sheriff's deputies around 7:45 p.m. at Minthorn and Spring streets on an outstanding warrant, jail records show. She was booked into Robert Presley Detention Center on suspicion of the two felony offenses she is alleged to have committed, as well as several misdemeanor offenses, including drugs and a failure to appear in court/pay a fine.

She was being held in lieu of $150,000 bail and is due in court Tuesday.