3 Men Rescued After Being Stranded in Blaine County’s Backcountry

BLAINE COUNTY, Idaho – Three men who became stranded in the backcountry were rescued by searchers late Sunday night in southeast Blaine County.

According to Blaine County Sheriff Steve Harkins, a report was made early Sunday morning that three men – Nicholas Carson, 33, Isaac Chatterton, 35, and John Lucchese, 34, all of Pocatello – were driving on the Minidoka/Arco Road in southeastern Blaine County when their vehicle got stuck in mud and snow.

The men first requested assistance from a friend, Harkins said in a news release, but 18 hours later they were running low on fuel and had no food or water with them and so they decided to call 911.

Authorities determined the best way to access the stranded men was by using snowmobiles, and so at about 10 p.m. Sunday a four-person team of sheriff deputies and members of the Blaine County Search and Rescue unloaded their gear at the north end of the Minidoka/Arco Road near Arco and began searching.

The three men were located about an hour and a half later, more than 27 miles south of the Arco Airport. There were no injuries reported among the men, the sheriff said.

Harkins said many roads are still impassible this time of year and it’s important for people to use caution and good judgement when heading outdoors so they don’t become stranded.