Sheriff’s drone plays crucial role in finding missing girl

Time is of the essence when protecting the community, and the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office said drones are game-changers.

“We use it in felony arrests. We use it in narcotics investigations,” Detective Sgt. Patrick Irwin, Drone Program coordinator. “We have used it in drownings on Lake Norman.”

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Irwin said his team most commonly uses the technology to find missing people.

The sheriff’s office dispatched about 20 deputies, a K-9 unit, and a drone pilot on Tuesday to find a missing five-year-old girl in northeast Iredell County.

“I guess she started walking off with the dogs, and the dogs were very protective of her,” Irwin said.

The sheriff’s office deployed Sgt. Nate Hodges and K-9 Sadie to follow the girls’ scent.

“The K-9 was on the track for her,” Irwin said. “He was getting close. They started tracking in the woods behind the residence. I arrived shortly after they started the track. I put the drone up.”

He spotted movement within 10 minutes in a cornfield off Joyner Road between Doby and Sandy Springs roads.

“It was actually on the wide angle,” Irwin said. “I saw some movement in a field, and I said, ‘Oh there she is.’”

He yelled out to the search team, “I got her. I got her.”

Deputies said they found the girl less than a mile from where was last seen.

Irwin credits the drone for saving time and giving everyone peace of mind.

“It’s a good, exciting feeling,” he said. “Knowing that, you know, this technology is helping people this this technology helped put this family’s mind at ease that their child was OK.”

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