The Wood County Sheriff Department's Project Lifesaver machine had a strong signal just before a neighbor found an 8-year-old boy in a pond Tuesday afternoon.
Captain Mark King says he's thankful for the work of neighbor Larry Johnson. "He found him (Ben Jiles) up to his neck in the water and he said he had his sleeve caught on a nail," King said.
Ben Jiles has Down syndrome and had left his house when his mother stepped out of the room for just a moment Tuesday afternoon.
Captain King says there have been five successful rescues by using Project Lifesaver in Wood County and he's confident this would have been another one. "I still would have found him right away. I was getting a good strong signal where I was," King said.
The boy wears a Project Lifesaver transmitter. He's wandered away before.
Captain King says Project Lifesaver is being used in more than two dozen West Virginia counties and more than 40 states. He's a big believer in the program and calls Tuesday just more proof. "I would have found him had the neighbor not found him in time," King said.
