Tuolumne County Sheriff's Search & Rescue

02/26/2026

Another successful outcome. Thank you to everyone who assisted!

02/22/2026

**January/ February 2026 Drawing**

Following a busy start to our 2026 SAR season, we recently had our January and February drawings for our 2nd annual SAR Calendar Fundraiser! We want to thank our sponsors and community for supporting our team and making our fundraiser a success.

Congratulations to our January winner- ticket 289 - Brenda Bauer!!👏👏
And Congratulations to our February winner - ticket 262- Michael Crotty!!👏👏

We also want to express our sincerest gratitude, and hope you support our sponsors including:

- Sheriff David L. Vasquez
- Boyer Construction
- Tuolumne County Deputy Sheriff’s Association
- The Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians
- Blue Mountain Minerals
- Eagle Realty and Management
- Kennedy Meadows Resort and Pack Station
- Banks Glass
- Dodge Ridge Ski Resort
- Baron Motorsports
- Tamara M. Polley
- Heidi’s Ski Shop
- Pinecrest Expedition Academy
- Oak Valley Community Bank
- Plum Construction
- Solarworx

Once again, a huge thank you to our community for the support of our Tuolumne County SAR team!

We could not accomplish our mission without the ongoing support of our community!

Looking forward to our March Drawing on the 5th!!!!

02/06/2026

Great outcome! Great work team and thank you to all our community partners for their ongoing support 👏👏

On February 4, 2026, at approximately 12:30 p.m., deputies received a report that 74-year-old Dan Iwata had gone for a walk from his residence in the Cedar Ridge area of Tuolumne County earlier in the morning and had not returned. Deputies began searching the surrounding areas on foot and in vehicles and could not locate Dan. The Tuolumne County Sheriff's Search & Rescue (TCSAR) team was contacted and immediately deployed several members to begin searching. The Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) team was also activated to assist with searching for Dan with a drone. Deputies contacted the California Highway Patrol (CHP), which issued a Silver Alert for Dan. The California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) was contacted to help coordinate mutual aid resources for continued searching the following day.

On the morning of February 5, 2026, TCSAR resumed search operations using quads, side-by-side UTVs, E-bikes, and a TCSAR K9. CHP assisted with a helicopter search, and the Calaveras County Sheriff's Office provided a trailing K9. As concern continued to grow, the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office was preparing to launch its helicopter, and additional search-and-rescue resources from Stanislaus, San Joaquin, and Nevada counties were on the way when Dan was located by two TCSAR members on E-bikes.

Dan was found alert and was evaluated by medics at the scene before being transported to the hospital for further examination.

We are grateful for the assistance of our partners at CHP, Cal OES, Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office, Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office, San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office, nevada_county_sheriffs_office, and for the support from community members who shared information and reported possible sightings.

We would also like to extend our utmost thanks to the Sonora Area Foundation for the donation that enabled the TCSAR team to purchase E-bikes, which were instrumental in this successful outcome.

02/04/2026

Our team is our activity searching for Dan. Please be on the lookout for him!

*** UPDATE 12:15 pm 02/05/26 ***

Dan has been FOUND!! He is alive and being assessed by medics after being out in the elements overnight.

We want to thank our Search and Rescue team, which consists mainly of volunteers; our partners at the California Highway Patrol for their assistance with air operations and for sending out the Silver Alert for Dan; and Cal OES.

We also want to thank our amazing community for providing us with information, and other investigative tips that helped us find Dan alive.

**HAVE YOU SEEN THIS MISSING PERSON?**

We are seeking the public’s help in locating 74-year-old Dan Iwata.

Dan left his house on foot for a walk from the Broken Bit Road area of Cedar Ridge on the morning of February 4th, 2026, at about 10:30 am.

He is described as approximately 5’4”, 140 lbs, with brown eyes, a long grey ponytail, and unshaven grey facial hair. He was last known to be wearing a white-colored thermal top, jeans, and a camo baseball hat. It is reported that Dan suffers from Alzheimer's.

Deputies, TCSO Search and Rescue members, and members of our Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) are actively searching for Dan in the area.

Anyone who has seen Dan or knows of his whereabouts is urged to contact the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office at 209-533-5815

12/04/2025

📢TCSO Search & Rescue is Looking for Volunteers! 📢
Serve our community, build outdoor skills, and help bring people home. Our team is looking to add members and will be accepting volunteer applications through December 31st.

11/30/2025

**November Drawing**

We recently had our November drawing for our first annual SAR Calendar Fundraiser! We want to thank our sponsors and community for supporting our team and making our first annual calendar a success!

Congratulations to our November winner- ticket 124 - Scott Ange!!👏👏
Thank you to our partner, Sonora Area Foundation for their ongoing support of our team!

We also want to express our sincerest gratitude, and hope you support our sponsors including:

- Boyer Construction
- Tuolumne County Deputy Sheriff’s Association
- Edward Jones - Trent Simonson
- Chicken Ranch Casino Resort
- Sheriff David L. Vasquez
- American Wood Fibers
- Blue Mountain Minerals
- Canepa and Sons Drilling and Pumps Inc.
- Eagle Realty and Management
- Kennedy Meadows Resort and Pack Station
- Jim’s “Opie’s” Automotive
- Oak Valley Community Bank
- Plum Construction
- Solarworx
- Sierra Mountain Construction Inc
- Sierra Emergency Medical Group Inc.

Once again, a huge thank you to our community for the support of our Tuolumne County SAR team!

We could not accomplish our mission without the support of our community!

Looking forward to our last two drawings both Thursday evening, December 4th!!!

***2026 calendars are now available for purchase!! If you want to support our team and get in on next year’s firearm raffle, contact your favorite SAR member for a calendar!!**

11/11/2025

🚨📢Search and Rescue 2026 Firearm Raffle Calendars Are Here📢🚨

Welcome to the 2nd Annual Search and Rescue Calendar Raffle Fundraiser! These calendars feature our Search and Rescue (SAR) team and offer great odds to win amazing fi****ms and other prizes drawn monthly throughout 2026.

When you purchase a calendar, 100% of the proceeds support our Search and Rescue team — made up primarily of dedicated volunteers — who work hard to stay highly trained and well-equipped to respond rapidly, effectively, and safely to any search, rescue, or disaster incident, whether in Tuolumne County or in neighboring counties that call on our help.

Each calendar includes an entry into monthly drawings for fi****ms and other prizes, and you don’t need to be present to win. Please visit our website to see the prizes and more information about the fundraiser and our team (link in the comments).

Calendars can be purchased at the Sheriff’s Office (28 Lower Sunset Drive, Sonora) during regular business hours (9 AM–4 PM, Monday–Friday), from your favorite SAR member, or by calling 209-770-7114.

We are deeply grateful to our sponsors and community for standing behind our mission year after year—we truly couldn’t do this without you! 👏👏🙏

10/29/2025

**October Drawing**

We recently had our October drawing for our first annual SAR Calendar Fundraiser! We want to thank our sponsors and community for supporting our team and making our first annual calendar a success!

Congratulations to our October winner- ticket 291 - Kyle Templel👏👏
Thank you to our partner, Sonora Area Foundation for their ongoing support of our team!

We also want to express our sincerest gratitude, and hope you support our sponsors including:

- Boyer Construction
- Tuolumne County Deputy Sheriff’s Association
- Edward Jones - Trent Simonson
- Chicken Ranch Casino Resort
- Sheriff David L. Vasquez
- American Wood Fibers
- Blue Mountain Minerals
- Canepa and Sons Drilling and Pumps Inc.
- Eagle Realty and Management
- Kennedy Meadows Resort and Pack Station
- Jim’s “Opie’s” Automotive
- Oak Valley Community Bank
- Plum Construction
- Solarworx
- Sierra Mountain Construction Inc
- Sierra Emergency Medical Group Inc.

Once again, a huge thank you to our community for the support of our Tuolumne County SAR team!

We could not accomplish our mission without the support of our community!

Looking forward to the next prize drawing, Thursday evening, November 6th!!
A300

09/12/2025

**September Drawing**

We recently had our September drawing for our first annual SAR Calendar Fundraiser! We want to thank our sponsors and community for supporting our team and making our first annual calendar a success!

Congratulations to our September winner- ticket 283 - Jeanne Hill👏👏

Thank you to our partner, Sonora Area Foundation for their ongoing support of our team!

We also want to express our sincerest gratitude, and hope you support our sponsors including:

- Boyer Construction
- Tuolumne County Deputy Sheriff’s Association
- Edward Jones - Trent Simonson
- Chicken Ranch Casino Resort
- Sheriff David L. Vasquez
- American Wood Fibers
- Blue Mountain Minerals
- Canepa and Sons Drilling and Pumps Inc.
- Eagle Realty and Management
- Kennedy Meadows Resort and Pack Station
- Jim’s “Opie’s” Automotive
- Oak Valley Community Bank
- Plum Construction
- Solarworx
- Sierra Mountain Construction Inc
- Sierra Emergency Medical Group Inc.

Once again, a huge thank you to our community for the support of our Tuolumne County SAR team!

We could not accomplish our mission without the support of our community!
Looking forward to the next prize drawing, Thursday evening, October 2nd!!
B14 Hunter

08/27/2025

It’s , and we want to recognize our loyal and devoted Search and Rescue K9s! 🐾

Our dogs are trained in Human Remains Detection (HRD) and Area Search — two critical skill sets in SAR operations. Each K9 trains for approximately two years and must pass a series of certification tests before they're ready to deploy on real missions.

Rue, Finn, and Katy-Bug are not just dedicated team members — they’re family. ❤️👏

08/27/2025

Great news….Poncho has been found!!