Gwinnett Police Helicopter Helps Locate Lost Hall County Man

GWINNETT COUNTY, GA — With help from the Gwinnett County Police Aviation Unit, a missing Hall County man is back with his family after walking away from his Gainesville home.

The Hall County Sheriff's Department enlisted the aviation unit on April 17 to help find a 40-year-old man who'd been missing all morning. He'd recently moved from Florida and was unfamiliar with the area, and his family was worried about him because of his diminished mental capacity and need for medication.

Less than an hour after leaving Briscoe Field, the aviation unit located the man about a mile from his house. Hall County deputies found him in good health and then reunited him with his family. The man told deputies he walked out of the woods because he could hear his name being called from the helicopter’s PA system.

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A spokesperson for the Gwinnett Police Department said this incident is one of the first noteworthy finds in the aviation unit's new helicopter, an MD 530F equipped with a PA system an infrared camera for night vision..

The aviation unit consists of two pilots and one pilot-in-training who are also sworn Gwinnett County Police officers. The unit routinely assists neighboring counties, as well as all areas of the Gwinnett police to help find missing children or adults, crime suspects, vehicles and other property. They also play a critical role in coordinating with uniform officers during foot or vehicle pursuits, K9 searches, and incidents affecting traffic.

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