Missing rider found safe

CLAYTON - Despite spending several hours lost outdoors in sub-freezing temperatures Sunday night, a White County man is safe.

Marty Dixon, the deputy director of Rabun County EMA, was part of the search team that found the motorcycle rider just after 4:30 a.m. Monday.

"He was actually in pretty good shape," Dixon said. "He rode his motorcycle out and they transported him to the hospital to get him checked out...to make sure he was okay."

Dixon said the man became separated from a buddy when the two went motorcycle riding Sunday afternoon on trails around Lake Burton. Original reports indicated the two were horseback riding.

Family members called authorities around 11 p.m. Sunday to report the man missing. The search began just before 11:30 p.m.

The man reportedly was treated and released from Mountain Lakes Medical Center in Clayton. Hospital personnel refused to release information on the man, citing patient confidentiality.