Virginia Beach, Va. – A man who was just trying to find his dog found himself stuck in a very uncomfortable situation in Virginia Beach.
On Saturday, March 26, 2016, Terry Huss was out for a walk in the woods with his dog “Jethro.”
He parked his car in the 2700 block of West Neck Road and started walking on the Virginia Beach Courthouse Trail. That’s when the dog ran away.
Huss left the trail to find his dog and ended up in the swamp. He became disoriented and stepped into some waist-deep mud.
Huss called 911 after he was unable to get out on his own. Officers arrived and went into the woods from both West Neck Road and the Foxfire neighborhood.
Virginia Beach police also dispatched a helicopter and they were able to find Huss.
Police used the Dozier’s Bridge Boat Launch on Princess Anne Road. Two citizens, Mason Whitehurst and John Wiliamson, were there.
Whitehurst agreed to take the officer and a member of EMS in his Jon Boat down the waters of West Neck Creek to Huss.
The helicopter dropped a smoke canister near Huss to help officers find him.
The officer then got into the swamp and made his way to Huss through the thick mud.
Officer Brian Decker was the first to get to Huss two hours after the call was made. Huss became hypothermic and could not move.
Officers had to use tools to clear the thick brush and the whole ordeal became very labor intensive.
Huss was finally pulled out of the mud and loaded into a boat at 4 p.m., which was five hours after he called for help.
Huss and his dog are both recovering.
