An elderly El Dorado, Arkansas man that ran out of fuel in 100 degree weather and didn’t know his location contacted NATCOM 911 Center on July 20, requesting assistance according to Sheriff Stuart Wright.
While NPSO 911 Supervisor Kim Green was talking with the man, gathering information and asking him questions about his location (he didn’t know), he appeared to be confused and responded that he ran out of gas and had been on the side of the road for approximately three hours.
The call came in at approximately 2:48 pm with a temperature of 97 and heat index over 100 degrees.
Supervisor Green began the process of geo-tracking the 911 call and learned the disabled motorist was near the Natchitoches-Winn Parish line on US-84.
Green then dispatched NPSO Patrol Deputy Joshua Bayonne to US-84 to see if he could locate the motorist.
Not long afterwards, Deputy Bayonne located the vehicle on US-84.
Deputy Bayonne began to talk with the 83-year-old man and learned that he was a piano tuner traveling in the area. Bayonne confirmed and informed dispatch that the man was confused and didn’t know where he was a possible heat exhaustion indicator or other medical issue.
Bayonne provided NATCOM 911 Center with the motorist driver’s license information.
Supervisor Green, using that information contacted law enforcement in El Dorado that was able to provide a telephone number for the motorist’s address.
Green then made contact with a relative in Arkansas that stated the man was in Louisiana traveling and had no known current medical issues other than it could be heat-related if he had been stranded in the heat for three hours. The relative stated that it should be fine for him to travel after refueling the vehicle and cooling off.
Deputy Bayonne transported the motorist to a service station in the Clarence area to purchase gas, water and other items that he needed. They traveled back to the vehicle where Bayonne assisted in refueling the vehicle and making sure it would start.
The motorist thanked Deputy Bayonne and continued his journey.
A short while later, NATCOM 911 Center received a call from the Winn Parish Sheriff’s Office stating that their agency and another had been looking for a stranded motorist but were unsuccessful. NATCOM informed Winn SO that he was located in Natchitoches Parish, assisted and on his way.
Sheriff Stuart Wright commends NPSO Communications Supervisor Kim Green and Deputy Joshua Bayonne on an outstanding job by taking the extra steps to show concern and compassion for this motorist traveling through Natchitoches Parish. Much thanks to both of you. “Job well done.”
The wife of the stranded motorist called the sheriff’s office wanting to thank the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office and the deputies that assisted her elderly husband get gas when he was stranded in Natchitoches Parish. She wanted the NPSO to know that he had made it home safely. She went on to say that the public often only hears about when law enforcement makes mistakes and rarely hears about the heroics when we do well. She said deputies were heroes to her husband and she wanted to sincerely thank the NPSO for a job well done.
