Richland snowmobiler missing, snowmobile found near Skunk River this morning

Authorities are still searching for a Richland man who was reported missing early Monday morning after going snowmobiling.

According to police reports, Spencer Ray Adam, 25, was snowmobiling over the weekend, when he was reported missing at 1:49 a.m., Monday, Jan. 14. His snowmobile was located around 3 a.m., near the Skunk River and Highway 34 bridge. Authorities from the Henry County Sheriff's Office, Iowa DNR and the Fairfield Fire Department are continuing to search the river area for Adam.

Three firefighters from Fairfield are using the fire department's boat to search the river, department Chief Scott Vaughan said to the Fairfield Ledger.

'We got the call between 3-4 a.m., to get the boat ready,” Vaughan said. 'We did not actively start searching until it was daylight.”

According to Vaughan, the firefighters put the boat in the water around 7:30 a.m., at Oakland Mills, a few miles southwest of Mt. Pleasant.

'People are searching as we speak,” Vaughan said at 8:40 Monday morning.

At 10:30 a.m., authorities asked non-essential personel to leave the area. It is unconfirmed as of press time if Adam's body had been found.

The missing snowmobiler is just one accident linked to heavy snowfall over the weekend. Eight to 12 inches of snow along and south of Highway 34 fell on Saturday, Jan. 12, according to the National Weather Service.

Ltn. Lyle Murray, with the Mt. Pleasant Police Department, said that there were a few accidents over the weekend but most of the calls for service were from people whose vehicles were stuck in the snow.

There were 'no horrible wrecks,” Murray said, advising drivers to slow down and allow more time for stopping at a stop sign or stop light as the roads remain icy.

Murray said to move vehicles every 24 hours to help the Street Department clear the roads and parking lots.

'It's frustrating for them when they can't plow because people don't have their cars moved,” Murray said. 'They're working extremely hard to make it as safe for everyone as they can.”

County plow trucks were sent out Saturday, Jan. 12, at 6 a.m. and continued to work all day on clearing paved roads, Henry County engineer Jake Hotchkiss said. Motor graders were sent out all day on Sunday and will work all day Monday as well, Hotchkiss said.

On Monday, crews began working on gravel roads and pushing snow off the shoulders of paved roads to prepare for more snow this coming weekend, Hotchkiss said.

Hotchkiss said crews should have gone over every county road by Tuesday, Jan. 15.

The county does not use salt brine before expecting snow or ice as a preventive treatment, Hotchkiss said. 'We're not a 24/7 service, and that's usually when that comes in,” he explained.

Hotchkiss said road conditions vary, but the paved roads are in pretty good shape.

'There's always the potential for black ice,” Hotchkiss said. 'The gravel roads are a hit and miss right now because we've not completed snow removal operations.”

Andy Hallman, editor of The Fairfield Ledger contributed to this article.