By Kevin Tripp, KABC
Hector Varela is one of the students at Damien High School who says his teacher Tim Staples was a great person.
”He was always someone I looked up to. He was a true role model for me. Someone that I wanted to model myself after.”
Staples died on Saturday during a search on Mt. Baldy for an Irvine hiker who went missing over a week ago. Officials say the 32-year-old fell down an ice chute after becoming separated from other members of the search and rescue team. Fellow teacher Quincy Sims says the recently married Staples was a wonderful person.
”This is the type of young man, that if I had a daughter, I would like her to marry.”
The search for the missing hiker is being suspended.