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Contact: Deborah Turcotte, Spokesperson
Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
284 State Street
41 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333

Telephone: work (207) 287-6008 cell (207) 592-1164

Fax: (207) 287-6395

June 19, 2008

New Jersey Woman Found Safe in North Maine Woods

Chesuncook – A New Jersey woman who became separated from her son during a hike to a camp site along Caucomgomoc Dam on Wednesday afternoon was found safe by the Maine Warden Service this morning.

Judy Preston, 67, of Washington Township, New Jersey, and her son, Randy Preston, of Vancouver, British Columbia, were pulling a canoe through the fast water of Caucomgomoc Stream at approximately 4 p.m. Wednesday when Randy looked behind him to check on his mother and did not see her there, according to Game Warden Tom McKenney.

Fearful that his mother may have fallen into the water, Mr. Preston began searching the area to no avail. He got into the canoe and began a route down the Caucomgomoc Stream through Black Pond to Chesuncook to seek help. The pair had spent the night Tuesday on Gero Island, across from Chesuncook.

“Mr. Preston had forgotten that he and his mother had made a plan that if she became too tired pulling the canoe that she would go into the woods and continue walking to the campsite,” Warden McKenney said. “He had panicked and thought something had happened to her. It was a miscommunication on both of their parts.”

According to Warden McKenney, Mr. Preston tried to call out to his mother but “the sound of the stream would have been enough to muffle the sound of his voice.”

Mr. Preston reached a Chesuncook store at approximately 10 p.m., and the proprietors there tried to reach the Maine State Police through e-mail.

“They sent out an e-mail but it didn’t get to the State Police,” McKenney said. “They later found out it accidentally was sent to a dentist’s office.”

Early this morning, Mr. Preston set out for the Chesuncook Lake House, where he received help in contacting the Maine State Police. The Maine Warden Service was contacted at approximately 6 a.m. today.

Because of the remoteness of the area, the Maine Warden Service dispatched five watercraft, two aircraft, nine wardens and the MWS Dive Team. Most were called back once Ms. Preston was found by the MWS pilot and sergeant from their aircraft.

“Ms. Preston was located walking in Chesuncook Stream at approximately 8:45 a.m. by Sgt. Tom Ward and Pilot Daryl Gordon,” McKenney said. “Warden Jim Davis had her in his canoe at approximately 9:30.”

Ms. Preston survived the night because she found a travel bag that her son had left alongside the stream. In it were gear, granola bars and other safety essentials, McKenney said.

“She’s fine and she’s calm,” McKenney said. “The only thing is that the bugs got to her.”

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