JEFFERSON NATIONAL FOREST, Va. — On Friday morning, an injured Hubert Ramey, 60, walked out of the Jefferson National Forest where he has been missing for more than a week.
Now, in addition to being hospitalized for injuries he received after falling during his hike, Ramey is facing charges of violating probation – because he failed to report his whereabouts to his probation officer.
Bearing several broken ribs and bruises, Ramey walked out of the forest Friday at Fort Blackmore in Scott County, south of the forest, said Police Sheriff R.D. Oakes. There, Ramey was picked up by a motorist and taken to his home in Coeburn, Va., northeast of the forest.
Oakes said Ramey appeared 5 to 10 miles from where police and search teams spent hours trying to locate him July 17 and 18, after his family reported that he was two days past a scheduled rendezvous.
“He went the opposite direction from where we thought he would be,” Oakes said.
Police went to the house after he was found and took Ramey to Mountain View Regional Hospital in Norton, Va., to be treated. David Brash, Mountain View’s CEO, confirmed Friday that Ramey was admitted to the facility where he is being treated for his injuries.
When questioned about his whereabouts for the past week, Ramey told police he had fallen down an embankment in the forest near some caves.
Oakes said Ramey violated his probation while he was missing because he failed to inform his probation officers of his whereabouts.
Ramey is out on early release for a charge of possessing a firearm after being convicted for a felony, Oakes said.
Now, after recent events, Oakes said, Ramey could be sent back to jail to serve the remaining time on his sentence.
Ramey entered the forest the morning of July 15, but failed to meet his family as scheduled at 7 p.m. that day. On July 17, the family contacted authorities for help. The Wise County Sheriff’s Office and a search and rescue team started their work at noon that Saturday, but stopped the search at 4 p.m. July 18 when Ramey still could not be found.
Ramey is known to be knowledgeable about the woods, which is why on Monday, Oakes suggested that he might not want to be found. At that time, Oakes also said that he believed Ramey to no longer be in the area they were searching because of the length of time between the scheduled rendezvous and when the family reporting him missing.
On Friday, Oakes said that Ramey’s inability to meet his family at the appointed time was due to the injuries he sustained.
atunnell@bristolnews.com (276)645-2568
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