A 17-year-old Lawrenceville girl is safe after going missing Thursday night on the North Oconee River in Jackson County.
Jackson County deputies were called to Hurricane Shoals Park just after 8:30 regarding a missing person.
Sheriff Janis Mangum said two 17-year-old girls from Lawrenceville were going down the river on tube floats. One girl got out of the river at the bottom of Hurricane Shoals, while the other continued down the river.
Deputies went to the bridge on Woods Bridge Road, where a resident said he had heard a female yelling for help.
Deputies also were stationed at the river bridge on Ga. 15 and the Brockton Road Bridge.
The teen was able to get out of the river about 10:30 near Smith Lane off Apple Valley Road, Mangum said. She made her way to a nearby home for help.
“Other than being cold and frightened, the female was ok, returned to Hurricane Shoals where her mother and stepfather were waiting,” Mangum said.
Mangum expressed appreciation to her sheriff’s office staff, Hurricane Shoals Park attendants, Jackson County Emergency Management Agency, Jefferson Fire Department, Maysville Rescue, Plainview Rescue, Georgia State Patrol, and GSP Aviation Unit, as well as others who assisted in the search and rescue.
“This is a happy ending to what could have been tragic,” Mangum said.
