Missing man found in Hatfield, sent to CDH

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

HATFIELD - A missing Florence man, who police said was known to wander the woods behind the VA Medical Center in Northampton, was found in a remote section of Hatfield Thursday evening and was rushed to Cooley Dickinson Hospital to be treated for exposure, state police said.

According to Northampton Police Lt. Michael Patenaude, neighbors of Leonard Scagel, 54, of 34 Hasting Heights in Florence, came to the station to file a missing person report Thursday morning after realizing that Scagel's front door had been open for almost a week.

Patenaude said Scagel was last seen Tuesday at the VA Medical Center on North Main Street, where he worked.

"I guess he liked to wander, and he frequently walked around Fitzgerald's Lake and in the area behind the VA Hospital," Patenaude said. "Evidently he had been missing for several days."

State Police Trooper Adam Matthew said that at about 7 p.m. Thursday, a woman who lived on Stage Road in Hatfield found Scagel walking near her home and he "looked like he was in bad shape."

"He was approached by the female resident, and after she had a conversation with him, she was able to determine that he was someone who had been missing from the VA hospital and that he had been out in the elements for several days," Matthew said.

Scagel was transported by Hatfield ambulance to Cooley Dickinson Hospital to be treated for cuts, bruises and hypothermia caused by exposure.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com.