The discovery of an abandoned pickup near Antelope Summit on Janesville Grade has prompted local authorities to implement a full-scale search for a Janesville man.
According to Lassen County Sheriff Dean Growdon, a U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement Officer was contacted by wood cutters last week after they had run across an empty F-150 extra cab pickup on a dirt road.
A check of the registration revealed that the vehicle is registered to Richard Earl Welton of Janesville. The Forest Service officer attempted to contact Welton at his residence, but he was not there.
The officer then reported Welton’s abandoned vehicle and his attempt to contact Welton to the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office who sent a team of detectives, along with personnel from the Plumas County Search and Rescue Team, who immediately began a search in the area around the truck.
Six separate teams, including scent-detecting K9s, were utilized to conduct the search. After a two-day search, search teams were still unable to locate any trace of Welton.
On Sunday, in conjunction with Plumas authorities, detectives from the Lassen County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation into Welton’s disappearance. The Sheriff’s office has learned Welton was last seen on or around January 19th.
Efforts are being put together between Lassen and Plumas County Search and Rescue to begin an in-depth search for Welton.
If anyone has any information regarding the whereabouts or recent contact with Richard Earl Welton, please call either Detective John McGarva or Detective Dave Woginrich at the Lassen County Sheriff’s Office at (530) 257-6121.
Welton is described as a white male adult, 54 years old, 6’0″ tall and weighing 210 pounds.
