BUTTE MEADOWS, CA (MPG) - On January 15, 2020, at approximately 12:00 p.m., a Butte County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) helicopter was flying over the Butte Meadows area, when a BCSO Sergeant spotted a vehicle, approximately three miles from the Bambi Inn, covered in snow, that matched the description of the Toyota 4Runner belonging to Paula Beth James, age 68 of Oroville. The pilot landed the helicopter and two BCSO employees hiked to the vehicle, which was located approximately 150 yards off the road on Skyway, and located James alive. BCSO Search and Rescue responded with a Sno Cat, to transport James to paramedics staging nearby. James was taken to a local hospital and is currently in stable condition.

BCSO Deputies, Detectives, Search and Rescue Members and Pilots spent more than 100 hours searching for James, utilizing our helicopter, snowmobiles, CodeRED emergency mass notifications, CodeRED Bulletin Board (833-512-5378), Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA), and a CHP Silver Alert in an effort to locate James and we are all grateful for this fortunate outcome and wish her a speedy recovery.