Tuolumne County search

Tuolumne County Sheriff's Office Search-and-Rescue volunteers and a California Highway Patrol helicopter pilot were looking Tuesday for a 22-year-old woman last seen Monday evening in the raging Clavey River, where snowmelt runoff conditions are currently too dangerous for swiftwater searchers to go in the ice-cold whitewater.

Sheriff's SAR volunteers were busy over the three-day Memorial Day weekend, which included calls for help for a 28-year-old man with a broken leg at Cleo's Bath on the South Fork Stanislaus River above Pinecrest Reservoir on Monday, as well as a missing 70-year-old Amador County man whose car was found at a Kennedy Meadows trailhead on Friday.

In the Clavey River incident, the 22-year-old woman drove Monday with a male companion to a gate and road barriers on Cottonwood Road, also known as Forest Road 1N04. They parked, walked around the gate and barriers, and went to the Cottonwood Road bridge over the Clavey, just downstream from God's Bath, Sheriff's Investigator Ashley Boujikian said.

The woman ended up in the Clavey River at or near God's Bath, a rock formation that is popular with swimmers when waters are calm, and is notoriously dangerous during springtime when waters are high and fast, Boujikian said.

At 6:30 p.m. Monday, sheriff's SAR volunteers got called out to the Clavey River and arrived about 7:30 p.m. They looked for the woman but found conditions too dangerous to go in the water.

The search for the woman continued Tuesday, with volunteers on the ground and a pilot in CHP helicopter H-40 in the air, said Boujikian, who is a coordinator-liaison with the sheriff's SAR team. Searchers planned to deploy aerial drones to help look for the woman. Information about her hometown was not released.

Earlier, at 1 p.m. Monday, sheriff's SAR volunteers got called to Cleo's Bath, a popular rock formation on the South Fork Stanislaus River, where the 28-year-old man reportedly had a broken leg, Boujikian said.

A Cal Fire pilot in Copter 404 was called to hoist the man out and the incident was cleared at 3:30 p.m. Monday. Information about the man's hometown was not released and an update on his condition was not available.

People have drowned in years past at both God's Bath and Cleo's Bath.

The missing man from Amador County was identified by authorities in multiple counties as 70-year-old Kevin David Rodman of Pine Grove. He was reported missing more than a week before the search for him focused on Kennedy Meadows. His dark-colored 2016 Honda Civic with California license plate 7SBF546 was discovered Friday near a trailhead in the Kennedy Meadows area, the Tuolumne County Sheriff's Office said.

Rodman was first reported missing May 19 to the Amador County Sheriff's Office. He had not contacted his family for several days and was not answering his cell phone. Rodman suffers from medical conditions requiring medication, and he has battled memory loss in the past, his family told Amador County deputies.

Rodman is described as about 5 feet, 9 inches tall and about 200 pounds, with gray hair and blue eyes. He is also an attorney based in Jackson.

Anyone with information about Rodman and his whereabouts is urged to call the Tuolumne County Sheriff's Office non-emergency line at (209) 533-5815 or the Amador County Sheriff's Office at (209) 223-6500.

Dangerous waterways

The Sheriff's Office has been warning people to be cautious around waterways in Tuolumne County since mid-May.

Streams, creeks, and rivers are especially high, fast, and cold right now in the wake of a historically wet winter and near-record to record snowpack levels lasting longer into springtime and early summer.

Some ponds and reservoirs at higher elevations also remain ice-cold even as daytime temperatures climb into the 70s and 80s.

Sheriff's SAR volunteers did swiftwater rescue training with Sierra Rescue International instructors three weeks ago near Knights Ferry on the lower Stanislaus River.

The Tuolumne County Sheriff's Office offers outdoors and water safety tips that include:

• Plan ahead. Provide your location and expected time of return to someone and let them know when you return safely

• Consider purchasing a satellite messaging/communication device to take on your trip. Cell phone service is limited in mountain forest areas. In an emergency, a cell phone may not work.

• Stay cautious around the water. Cold whitewater can be dangerous for even the strongest swimmers due to water speed, obstacles below the surface, and frigid temperatures that can cause involuntary inhalation of air or water and can start the drowning process.

• Avoid going into the water to rescue a victim. Throw something that floats and contact emergency services.

• Do not go to waterways alone. Wear a flotation device in or near waterways.

• Always pay attention to children around waterways. Actively supervise children in and around water with your undivided attention. Do not assume someone else is watching them.

• Teach children how to be safe around waterways by wearing flotation vests and teaching them to be cautious and aware of potential dangers like river currents, cold waters effect on the body, underwater obstacles, and changing weather.

The Tuolumne County Sheriff's Office also has a Boating Safety Team that focuses on local reservoirs and lakes.

National Boating Safety Week was observed this year from May 20 through this past Friday. Tuolumne County's boating deputies are reminding people:

• Every occupant of a boat must have a readily accessible life jacket while the boat is in motion.

• For children under age 13 it's mandatory for them to always wear a life jacket while the vessel is moving.

• Verify your boat's fire extinguisher is fully charged and in proper working condition.

• Equip your vessel with an airhorn, noise-maker, or other sound-making device. It's essential for effective communication and signaling.

• California Boaters Card: Individuals aged 50 and under are legally required to possess a valid state boaters card. By 2025, all boaters will be required to obtain their cards regardless of age.

• Designate a lookout. Ensure the safety of your occupants and individuals engaged in water activities, especially waterskiing, by always having a designated lookout.

• Hydration: Given the heat on many Mother Lode lakes and reservoirs, the Sheriff's Office strongly urges boaters to maintain proper hydration by regularly consuming water.

• Alcohol consumption: While it is not illegal to consume alcohol on a boat, operating a vessel under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs is against the law. Alcoholic beverages can impair judgment, balance, vision, and reaction time. The blood alcohol limit for boating is the same as that for driving a car, which is 0.08%. Boating Under the Influence convictions can result in fines up to $1,000 and jail terms of six months. Alcohol consumption contributes to about 25% of all fatal motorboat accidents in California.

• Debris awareness: The historically wet winter season and ongoing snowmelt runoff right now are bringing tons of tree limbs, rocks, and other debris, floating and submerged, into local lakes and reservoirs. Always be vigilant for debris that can damage your boat and harm occupants.

Contact Guy McCarthy at [email protected] or (209) 770-0405. Follow him on Twitter at @GuyMcCarthy