Wake County K-9 Rosie finds man in 6-foot ravine during welfare check

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- A Wake County K-9 officer was able to track and find a man in a 6-foot ravine during a welfare check overnight.

The Wake County Sheriff's Office said the check happened around 2:30 a.m. in the 1600 block of Briarwood Place.

Deputies said a man with "slight mental issues" had fled his home.

With concern for near freezing temperatures, deputies used K-9 Rosie to track along several streets and wooded areas.

"The temperatures were about 29 degrees that night. We searched for him: myself and several other deputies searched for him by vehicle, couldn't find him, decided to place a track and ended up finding him about 500 yards away from the house in a wooded area," said Deputy Ferrel Reynolds.

Rosie picked up a track that ended at a home on Raven Ridge Road.

She then found the man in a 6-foot ravine in a wooded area behind the home.

Reynolds has been with the sheriff's office since 2015 and with Rosie since the beginning.

"I definitely love helping people: that's something I've always loved to do. I love doing service for my community and this is giving me another tool to be able to do that in a different capacity."