CURWENSVILLE – The first training exercise with the Clearfield County Sheriff’s Posse has proven successful.
A group of about 187 posse members, along with the assistance of about 20 volunteers, staged a mock search exercise at the Greenwood Club on the outskirts of Curwensville.
The exercise was designed to give the posse members and the sheriff’s deputies who will be supervising a chance to work together and get some training in a real-world situation.
Members of the posse gathered at the Greenwood Club around 10 a.m. Saturday. Every member participating in the exercise was required to have their posse identification and to sign a waiver.
Once the group was organized, they saluted the flag and a prayer was said by the posse chaplains for a successful search, as well as for the safety of all involved in the exercise.
The members were then given instructions about the exercise and objectives. The posse was activated to search for a missing 7-year-old girl.
The members were given handouts, which provided a description of the missing girl, her clothing and items she had with her.
The posse members were to search the woods not only for the missing child, but also for any evidence that she may have passed through that area.
The posse members spread out in two lines of about 100 people and began to move through the woods to search. Those searching on foot were assisted by horses and an all-terrain vehicle.
“It was very successful,” Sheriff Wes Thurston said. “Within a half an hour, they located all the evidence as well as the little girl.” Thurston said the child was found roughly three-tenths of a mile into the woods.
The posse members did encounter a few rattle snakes, but all members had been cautioned to wear appropriate clothing before participating in the drill.
“There were no major injuries,” Thurston said. “We did have some issues with fatigue and with the heat, but nothing serious. They were working in some very thick brush and it just got thicker the farther they moved in. Overall, I’d say it was very successful.”
Thurston said in addition to the training in a real-life search situation, the exercise was designed to give the posse members an idea of what kind of work they would be doing if they are called to assist in an actual search.
“It’s important for them to find out if this is really something they want to do,” Thurston said. “It can be hard work and it’s not something everyone is cut out for.”
Thurston said there were a few areas that will need improvement, such as having the supervisors more clearly identifiable. He said there will be more upcoming posse activities this year, but probably not another exercise of this scope.
