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The Rural Maine Reporting Project is made possible through the generous support of the Betterment Fund.

Game warden trainees rescue family stranded on Moosehead Lake

Fish and game warden trainees rescued a couple and their two young children who became separated and stranded on Moosehead Lake during Tuesday's storm.

The couple, 31-year-old Ruby Goodmen of Greenville, and 32-year-old Joseph Wentworth of Orland, were ice fishing with a five and two year old when the weather started to worsen, according to officials.

Goodmen headed towards home with the five year old, who was already wet, while Wentworth stayed behind with the two year old to pick up ice fishing gear before leaving. But the weather quickly turned more severe and Goodmen became stranded when her snowmobile broke down.

Strong winds and whiteout conditions prevented Wentworth from being able to find them, and officials say both adults called 911 around 9:00 p.m.

Game wardens and Passamaquoddy Warden trainees were staying at a camp in the area and were able to locate the couple using GPS cell phone data. Goodmen was 800 yards from shore and Wentworth was two miles away from her. Officials say it took about 45 minutes to find and transport the group to shore.

They were brought to a camp to warm up and given a vehicle to get home.