Police Rescue Lost Mushroom Hunters Before Hitting Them With Citations

ABERDEEN, MD — Two people were cited with trespassing after police officers rescued them from a wooded area where they became lost while hunting for mushrooms.

Aberdeen police officers received a call for help on Monday around 9:50 a.m. A female caller told officers she and her friend had been dropped off at a wooded area in the 1100 block of Basich Boulevard around 4 a.m.

They were running low on water, were becoming overheated and couldn't find their way out of the woods. Grays Harbor 911 was able to provide officers with a general location from where the 911 call had originated. Officers then called the woman by phone, and she was able to find a small clearing around half a mile from Basich Boulevard.

An Aberdeen police drone officer deployed a drone in the area and located the pair. Officers then hopped onto an off-road vehicle and traveled through dense underbrush to find the two people, according to police.

They were removed from the woods and evaluated by medics with the Aberdeen Fire Department.

During their investigation, police officers found a vehicle hidden in the same woods where the pair had become lost. It was registered to one of the two people.

Police determined that the two people had driven around posted "no trespassing" signs to gain access to the wooded area and then hid the vehicle.

Aberdeen police issued citations for trespassing to the 41-year-old Aberdeen resident and a 29-year-old Hoquiam resident. They were released at the scene.