Kern County Sheriff’s Department Search and Rescue teams were kept busy all weekend responding to calls for help for those at the Kern River, including an ongoing search for a missing Long Beach woman near Hart Park.
Deputies said the Bakersfield Fire Department was able to rescue a man in the river near Hart Park on Saturday morning, but a woman is still missing. Search and rescue teams continued that search through the weekend. The woman was identified as Kim Lapp, 36, of Long Beach.
On Sunday, deputies received notification of a man stranded on the west side of the Kern River near Gold Ledge Campground, 10 miles north of Kernville in Tulare County. The Tulare County Sheriff’s Department requested the assistance of the Kern Valley Search and Rescue team, who responded to the location affected the rescue of a 23-year-old Victorville man who was swimming in the river without a life jacket. He was rescued without incident and safely returned to shore, requiring no medical aid.