PUNTA GORDA – Earlier today a Florida Silver Alert was issued for an 85-year-old Maryland man en route to Punta Gorda. Richard Duane Van Tries of Cumberland, Md., was following his wife in a separate vehicle from Maryland to Punta Gorda when they lost contact with each other. The Florida Silver Alert System was activated in cooperation with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. At approximately 12:12 p.m., after hearing details of the Silver Alert, an alert citizen notified police that she had found Van Tries at Eye Health of Port Charlotte, at 2600 Veterans Blvd, Port Charlotte. Punta Gorda Police detectives arrived and found Van Tries in good health but disoriented. Detectives drove Van Tries home, where he was reunited with his family.