Sheriff report: Phantom search leads to injury near Barry’s Landing

A search for a phantom crash in the hills near Barry’s Landing in the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area Friday afternoon didn’t find a victim but did result in harm when a National Park Service employee was injured during the search.

Big Horn County Sheriff Ken Blackburn said an automatic 911 ping was received from an Apple iPhone at 1:50 p.m. Friday. He said an iPhone will send an alert if the phone hits the ground hard enough.

Deputies and a Big Horn County Search and Rescue hasty team responded, joined by NPS personnel, to search the hills west of the Barry’s Landing turnoff in Carbon County, Montana.

During the search, Park Service employee Bill Pickett fell into a dry wash and suffered injuries to his head, shoulder and back “consistent with a fall greater than 15 feet,” Blackburn said. He was attempting to “self-rescue” when he was discovered, the sheriff said, and was assisted by Search and Rescue.

An air ambulance was called for, and a medical helicopter transported Pickett to a Billings Hospital where he was listed in good condition and hopes to make a full recovery, Blackburn said.

“This underscores the reality that, when people go out to help (in a situation like this) they put themselves at risk,” the sheriff said, adding that Pickett was doing a good job helping with the search when he fell.

Search and Rescue and sheriff’s personnel continued to search before deciding the 911 ping was a false alarm.

Other calls

The Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office received the following calls for the week of May 5-11:

May 5: 8:44 a.m. – An official at the Byron Town Hall asked for a deputy to be present while potentially upset citizens were meeting with the mayor.

May 6: 9:12 a.m. – The Lovell Police Department referred a REDDI call regarding a complaint about a vehicle struggling to maintain a lane of travel. The vehicle had left the town limits and was reportedly driving between Lovell and Greybull. A deputy and the Wyoming Highway Patrol responded but were unable to locate the vehicle.

6:15 p.m. – A report of debris in the road a few miles south of Lovell on U.S. 310 led to the driver of a vehicle from which the material had fallen agreeing to return and retrieve it. A deputy responded to the site to slow traffic.

May 7: 3:13 p.m. – A wallet found between Lovell and Greybull was turned in at the county annex in Lovell. The owner was going to come to the annex to claim the wallet.

May 8: 4:54 p.m. – A caller reported a deer in distress after being struck by a vehicle on U.S. 310 south of Frannie.

May 9: 11:18 a.m. – A Town of Lovell worker reported apparent property damage to a fence at the Lovell Rodeo Grounds, possibly occurring in mid-April.

May 10: 7:26 a.m. – A caller asking about water rights for irrigation water near Deaver was referred to the Wyoming State Engineer’s office.

12:43 p.m. – A domestic dispute on East Riverview in Byron was reported. A deputy responded, but all of the parties involved had left the scene and returned to Powell. Contacted, they denied any physical altercation.

8:53 p.m. – A report was called in of loud dirt bikes driving up and down East Platte in Byron. A deputy responded and spoke with teenagers in the area, who said the bikes had been put away for some time.

May 11: 2:24 a.m. – Deputies assisted with an individual in Lovell who was suffering from a mental health issue. A family member was called and arrived to assist the person.

5:54 p.m. – The National Weather Service issued an alert regarding strong winds in the area.

Editor’s correction: Last week’s report about a deputy driving back to Big Horn County after a citizen assist in Powell and colliding with a deer blended the names of two deputies on the force. The deputy was Brandon Jolley.

Note: The above calls were received by the Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office. Persons arrested are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, and charges made upon initial arrest may be amended or dismissed as determined by the County Attorney.