GREEN COVE SPRINGS, Fla. -- Two missing Green Cove Springs men have been found after they went into the woods Monday night.
David Claypool, 22, and Kyle Bennett, 21, were reported missing to the Clay County Sheriff's Office by Claypool's mother Monday after they did not return from a trip to the woods.
Tuesday morning the two men were located when they walked up to a home on County Road 209 South. Claypool and Bennett told the homeowners they had been lost in the woods, said Clay County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Mary Justino.
Claypool's mother, Sharon Strickland, became concerned after her son and Bennett did not return at nightfall from cutting a path to a creek a mile and a half behind their home, said Justino.
The two went into the woods around 4 p.m. Monday to cut a path to a creek they had seen on Google maps. When they left they said they would be back before nightfall.
During their walk to the creek the two got turned around, walking South instead of Northeast and were unable to find their way home. When it got dark the two were unable to find their way out of the thick underbrush.
Bennett and Claypool built a fire overnight to keep warm since they were only wearing shorts and t-shirts.
Tuesday morning the men were able to find their way out of the woods and walked up to a home on County Road 209. Both men are fine, Justino said.
However, they could face criminal charges. The charges are not because they were lost in the woods but because they had a handgun with them on their walk. Kyle Bennett is a registered convicted felon and it is illegal for a convicted felon to possess a firearm. Charges against Bennett are pending.
First Coast News