Officials with the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office have identified the man who died on Mount Hood on Tuesday as Dr. Cory Johnston, a 47-year-old surgeon with Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital.
Two climbers — one a volunteer with Portland Mountain Rescue — found Johnston at 9,400 feet in the Illumination Saddle area of Mount Hood on Tuesday, and immediately called 911. What was initially a search-and-rescue mission ultimately turned into a recovery mission after Johnston died from his injuries.
Related: Clackamas County Sheriff's Department Defends Search And Rescue Changes
The fatality comes over a week after the Clackamas County sheriff initially announced controversial plans to end his department's relationship with a number of search-and-rescue organizations, as first reported by The Oregonian/OregonLive. That included Portland Mountain Rescue, an elite team renowned for performing high-risk rescue missions on Mount Hood.
On Wednesday, Roberts announced he was going back on those plans, releasing a joint statement with Portland Mountain Rescue saying they "arrived at a mutual agreement."
Both entities announced that PMR would effectively move toward becoming a unit of Clackamas County Search and Rescue.
“I look forward to continuing this discussion and working with Portland Mountain Rescue as we carry on our shared mission: saving lives,” Roberts said in a statement.
Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts, right, and representatives from Portland Mountain Rescue meet at the sheriff’s office in Clackamas County, Ore., on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020. The two groups “arrived at a mutual agreement in principle on general terms for a closer relationship between Portland Mountain Rescue and the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office.”
Courtesy of the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office
Portland Mountain Rescue is still working out details with the Sheriff’s Office toward building the joint rescue team.
Previously, Roberts came on OPB's "Think Out Loud," where he was candid about defending his initial decision, following a $25,000 lawsuit that found the sheriff's office at fault for the 2017 death of a climber due to faulty 911 calls. Roberts feared that happening again.
“I’m always open to try and find compromise. I think that’s what life’s about a lot of times,” Roberts told OPB.
“But I want to bring it back to one point, and this is a big one. When the lawsuit comes, the lawsuit is coming against me.”
