Sacramento River rescue leads to arrest of wanted Redding felon
REDDING, Calif., — Authorities say a river rescue along the bluffs overlooking the Sacramento River led to the arrest of a wanted felon Wednesday, Oct. 27.
The man, who was arrested after being rescued by a CHP helicopter, reportedly told investigating officers he had been testing a new pair of hiking boots when he tumbled down the bluffs, leaving him stranded.
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City of Redding police and fire personnel were alerted to the situation after receiving a 911 call from fisherman in the area who reported seeing the victim stranded on the bluffs near the 2000 block of North Bechelli Lane, Redding Police Sergeant Gary Meadows reported last night.
Based on the circumstances, deputies assigned to the Shasta County Sheriff’s Boating Safety Unit and a CHP-Northern Division Air Operations helicopter were also summoned to the area to assist in the search and rescue.
A CHP aviation crew performed a hoist rescue of a man who reportedly tumbled down the bluffs overlooking the Sacramento River near Bechelli Lane, leaving him stranded. Officers later determined he had two warrants for his arrest. Lyn Dodds/CHP-Northern Division Air Ops photos
While CHP searched for the victim from the air and deputies searched the shoreline of the bluffs from the river, Redding officers and firefighters walked the bluffs searching for the endangered man.
Officials soon found Gordon Vance, 30, of Redding, stranded and unable to climb back to safety. CHP used their chopper to conduct a hoist rescue, eventually plucking Vance from the river bank below the bluffs and transporting him to a nearby field where he was interviewed by officers.
Although Vance was evasive about his identity and how he managed to end up falling down the bluffs, officers learned his identity and that he had two active warrants for his arrest.
Vance was ultimately arrested and booked into the Shasta County Jail in Redding for his felony and misdemeanor warrants. Online jail records indicate he has since been released.
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Trevor Montgomery, 50, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).
Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County-based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.