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By Kristal Dixon
Cherokee Tribune Staff Writer
A Johnston Elementary School second-grader has been honored for his quick thinking.
Eight-year-old Zachary Evans was honored Thursday by his principal, Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services and the family of an elderly man who he helped return to safety.
While walking his dog, Susy, at 10:45 a.m. Friday morning, Zachary, the great-grandson of Hoyle and Inez Evans of Woodstock, encountered an elderly gentleman who asked him how to get to Woodstock.
The man, 79-year-old Walter Ivey Wood, had apparently wandered away from his home between 1:30 and 2 a.m. that morning.
After telling him how to get to Woodstock, Zachary went back to his house and saw a TV news report about a missing elderly Woodstock man.
Zachary immediately recognized Wood's face and told his grandparents where they could find him.
"They were surprised," Zachary said of his grandparents' reaction.
Zachary went back to the spot where he saw Wood, who was still there. He then began walking home with Wood.
Meanwhile, the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office had set up a search team and requested School District Police Officer Todd Maloney assist in the search.
Maloney canvassed neighborhoods north of Johnston and south of Tripp Road.
After turning onto Evans Street in the Cherokee Meadows neighborhood, Maloney said he spotted this "blonde-headed boy leading a man."
"It was such a beautiful sight," he said.
Maloney took Wood back to the command post set up at Johnston.
Wood, who was found barefoot and his pajamas, was looked over by paramedics and taken to a local hospital.
"He was in good physical condition," Maloney said. "It looked like he fell or tripped, and he was a little scratched up."
Wood said he doesn't know how he got lost. He said as his grandson was leaving to deliver newspapers that morning, he had stepped outside.
"I guess I turned the wrong way," he said.
Arlene Baker, Wood's daughter, said after her father got lost, he may have started "following the light" of other houses to get home.
Ms. Baker said while her father doesn't suffer from any medical conditions, several days before he went missing he had undergone surgery on the right side of his brain to correct the blood flow.
As a result of the incident Friday, Ms. Baker said the family has decided her father needs 24-hour care.
Ms. Baker said she was just "relieved" to see her father was OK after he was found.
She also said she was impressed by Zachary's actions.
"I'm really amazed," she said. "Some 8-year-olds don't go up to people they don't know. We really appreciate what he did."
Evans said his great-grandson's upbringing is a reflection of his actions.
"He's a very special little boy," he said. "He's been taught what's right and what's wrong."
Johnston Elementary Principal Dr. Keith Ingram said he was "thrilled" when he learned of Zachary's actions.
Zachary's quick thinking can serve as an inspiration to other young children, Ingram said.
"It shows that you can be a good citizen at any age and make a difference in somebody's life," he said.
kdixon@cherokeetribune.com
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good job you are the best
While I'm very happy for Mr. Wood and his family, I'm not as enthusiastic about Zachary's heroism. I'm sorry, but Ms Baker's comment that "some 8-year-olds don't go up to people they don't know" really hit a nerve. I would not want my 8-year-old to approach a grown man alone in the woods. And I hope there are no creeps who think it's a good idea to act lost and convince a little boy he'll get a hero's award.