WENATCHEE — Grant County Deputy Dave De La Rosa and K-9 Grizzly were honored as Hometown Heroes by the Greater Inland Northwest Chapter of the American Red Cross for their lifesaving efforts in Ephrata in February.

De La Rosa and Grizzly, along with fellow award winners, were honored during the Hometown Heroes celebration on Thursday in Wenatchee. The pair earned the recognition for their actions during a call on Feb. 21 near Ephrata. About 3:30 a.m. a woman reported that her 85-year-old husband, who is an Alzheimer’s patient, had wandered away from their home in the 1100 block of Road A Northwest, southeast of Ephrata.

Temperatures were in the single digits that morning and additional resources arrived, along with a thermal imaging camera, but the man was not found. De La Rosa and Grizzly responded to the area and located the man, who had injured his ankle and couldn’t walk, in a large hole about 100 yards from his home. The man was taken to the hospital and treated for the ankle injury and exposure.

“That’s the great thing about Patrol K-9s,” Sheriff Tom Jones previously stated. “Patrol K-9s can be used to search for bad guys, and they can also be used to search for the lost and injured. It’s without any doubt that K-9 Grizzly saved this man’s life.”

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.