Helicopter helps locate missing man

PORTAGE, Mich. (WOOD) - Police are crediting the Air Care helicopter service with locating a missing man who had walked away from an adult care facility.

The 77-year-old man had been last seen at around 4 a.m. Sunday at an adult foster care home in the 10000 block of South 12th St. in Portage.

The facility was equipped with an alarm system on the doors to secure patients but it did not go off. It is unclear at what point the man went missing.

The man was found about a quarter-mile away from the home in a thick field of weeds late Sunday morning. Police say finding him would have taken much longer without the assistance of the helicopter.

"Within 10-20 minutes they were right there," said Portage Police Sgt. John Blue.

Blue said he went to the man's aid after the helicopter reported his location.

"I ran to him," Blue said, adding that the man had some injuries and had apparently fallen several times without the aid of the walker he normally used. "He was probably about on his last few steps."

The man was taken to an area hospital to be checked out.

Police say they talked with the foster home's staff about getting GPS locators for individuals who are at risk for walking away.

Blue says he's just glad there were clear skies and the helicopter was able to respond so quickly.

"If I could give them a high five -- of course I can't jump that high," he said.