LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — New drone technology the Lake County Sheriff’s Office is rolling out has helped its Search and Rescue team locate a lost hiker.

On Tuesday night at 7:20 p.m., Lake County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the 1400 block of Big Canyon Road in Lower Lake after receiving a report of a lost hiker, the agency reported. The individual was tired and unable to make it out of the rugged terrain on their own.

When deputies arrived, they were unable to locate the hiker or determine which path they had taken. The hiker had been in the wilderness for approximately nine hours, temperatures were beginning to drop and rain was a possibility, said Lauren Berlinn, the sheriff’s spokesperson.

Berlinn said the Lake County Search and Rescue, or SAR, Team was called in to help, along with a member of the newly established Lake County Sheriff’s Office Drone Response Team.

“This search was the kind of real-world scenario the Sheriff’s Office’s new drone program was created to support,” Berlinn said in her report.

Although the program is still in its early stages, Berlinn said the operation showed just how valuable this technology can be for improving search efficiency and keeping both rescuers and community members safe.

The drone was launched in the area of the hiker’s last known location, and within a short time, the operator spotted the missing individual, Berlinn said.

With real-time guidance from the drone operator, Berlinn said two SAR members, Deputy Kaylene Strugnell and her K9 Sadie reached the hiker and safely led them out of the steep, rocky area.

“This successful rescue highlights the important role the Sheriff’s Office Drone Program will play in future operations,” Berlinn said.

She said the drone program “not only improves response capabilities and resource coordination but also increases the likelihood of saving lives.”

The program reflects the Sheriff’s Office’s ongoing commitment to leveraging modern technology in service to the Lake County community, Berlinn said.

“The Lake County Sheriff’s Office is proud of our deputies, dispatchers, search and rescue volunteers, and everyone who worked together to ensure a safe and successful outcome,” she said in her report.