Pot-hunting deputies found after night in forest

By Associated Press

Summary

Ten sheriff's deputies who got stranded in the woods of southwest Washington while busting a marijuana-growing operation were rescued Sunday.

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Story Published: Aug 12, 2007 at 1:20 PM PST

Story Updated: Aug 12, 2007 at 4:54 PM PST

Pot-hunting deputies found after night in forest
VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) - Ten sheriff's deputies who got stranded in the woods of southwest Washington while busting a marijuana-growing operation were rescued Sunday.

Skamania County Sheriff Dave Brown says the officers spent Saturday removing thousands of marijuana plants from a large growing operation in the Dog Creek area, about 56 miles east of Vancouver.

Brown says the site was in extremely rugged terrain, and the team became disoriented on Saturday as daylight started to run out. They hunkered down until rescuers reached them Sunday morning.

Authorities have recently been conducting an annual sweep using helicopters to spot marijuana-growing operations. Over the past week-and-a-half, they have seized nearly 80,000 marijuana plants in southwest and south-central Washington.