Hikers call for rescue ends in arrests

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Three hikers were stranded in the Coast Range, and their call for help saved them -- but also ended in arrests for two of them.

The Tillamook County Sheriff’s Office said Steven Harrigan, Natalie Ladu and Alex Meyers planned to hike in the Tillamook Burn area. The group parked at a locked access gate Tuesday, entered the forest and eventually called authorities, saying they were “frozen and unable to move," The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.

Their call for help came Tuesday evening, and searchers found their cars and spotted the group’s footprints shortly before midnight.

They found the group about 3:30 a.m. Wednesday. No one needed medical attention.

Harrigan, 45, was arrested for felon in possession of a firearm, the sheriff’s office said.

Ladu, 37, was arrested on a Washington County warrant for a parole violation and possession of methamphetamine, according to the agency.

Meyers, 31, was not arrested.

The rescue came amid the coronavirus outbreak, which has taxed public agencies and prompted Oregon Gov. Kate Brown to instruct people to stay home except when traveling for essential work, buying food and similar critical supplies, or returning to their own homes.