Man Swept Over Feather Falls In Butte County
BUTTE COUNTY (CBS13) - A hiker is presumed dead in Butte County after being swept over Feather Falls last weekend.
At around 5 p.m. on Sunday Mitch Padula, 28, of Chico was hiking with friends up above the falls when he was seen standing by the water, perhaps wetting his shirt to cool off, according to Butte County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Steve Collins.
Padula's friends saw him being swept downstream but lost sight of him when he disappeared around a bend.
A witness says he saw someone going over the falls, which drops 640 feet into a boulder-strewn area.
Searchers looked for Padula until 9 p.m., when it became too dark to look. The search continued the next day, but was eventually called off at 5:30 p.m.
The search will continue when water flow conditions allow.
