Photo by Derek Redd Law enforcement waits on a road outside woods where a double amputee fled police in Belmont County on Saturday.

A military veteran in distress was found safe after fleeing into the woods near High Ridge Road in St. Clairsville, Belmont County Sheriff James Zusack said.

Zusack said the Ohio State Highway Patrol originally got a call early Saturday morning about someone driving a car through the yards of several houses in the High Ridge Road area. When authorities arrived, the man, a double amputee, fled into the wood in the neighborhood. They later learned the 43-year-old was a veteran in a state of crisis.

An extensive search was undertaken, including use of an OSHP aircraft. When the man was located around 1:25 p.m. Saturday, he was transported by sheriff’s deputies to “get the help he needs,” Zusack said.

Zusack wanted to thank the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the St. Clairsville Police Department, the Neffs Fire Department, the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office and Dirk Harkins for their assistance in the search Saturday.