BUTTE COUNTY, CA (MPG) - On Wednesday, June 17, 2020, a family member of Robert Bellon, age 65, contacted the Butte County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) to report Bellon as a missing person. Bellon had previously left his Bay Area home and was staying in Chico before leaving to go on a fishing trip on Monday, June 15, 2020, in the area of Highway 32 and Dumb Deer Road in Tehama County, near the Butte County line. Bellon had not returned home and had not made any contact with family members.

On the afternoon of June 17, BCSO detectives followed-up on the case and interviewed witnesses in the area and checked Bellon’s phone records. After conducting follow-up, BCSO detectives as well as detectives with the Special Enforcement Unit (SEU) began conducting a search by helicopter and a ground search. At approximately 5:00 p.m., a BCSO pilot spotted Bellon on a gravel bar near a creek, approximately two miles from where he was last believed to be. The BCSO helicopter landed and detectives found that Bellon had fallen down a 75-foot embankment and was injured. Bellon told detectives he fell down the embankment on Monday, June 15, and had dislocated his knee and had other serious injuries. Detectives worked with CAL FIRE and Butte EMS to rescue Bellon. He was then transported to a local hospital for treatment of his injuries.