K-9 unit finds missing man near Ford Lake.

K-9 Cash

K-9 unit finds missing man near Ford Lake.

#MasonCountyNews.

By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief.

SHERIDAN TOWNSHIP — Law enforcement and fire department personnel spent about three hours searching for a missing 27-year-old Free Soil man Tuesday night. Sgt. John Balowski of the Mason County Sheriff’s Office said the man is mentally disabled and was fishing with his father on the Big Sable River when he wandered off. Balowski said the man initially headed north of the river. A perimeter was set up along Free Soil, Reid, and Larson roads.

About an hour into the search, a civilian spotted the man walking on Griffin Road near Ford Lake. Additional fire personnel were then called in to search in that area.

“The subject was actively evading people,” Balowski said. “When a citizen would spot him, he would run away.”

Eventually, the sheriff’s office K-9 unit, Cash and Sgt. Ken Baum, found the man on North Ford Lake Road, on the south side of Ford Lake. Balowski said the man was being transported to Spectrum Health Ludington Hospital for a mental health evaluation.

Responding to the call were Mason County Sheriff’s Office, Michigan State Police, Free Soil/Meade Fire Department, Fountain Area Fire Department, and Grant Township Fire Department.

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