A U.S. Army veteran arrested during an immigration raid at a California marijuana farm says he was sprayed with tear gas and pepper spray before being dragged from his vehicle on his way to work.

George Retes, 25, who works as a security guard for the Glass House Farms in Camarillo, was arrested last Thursday and released three days later without being charged with a crime

George Retes told reporters he was manhandled by federal agents who broke his car window, damaged his vehicle and sprayed him with tear gas.

A volunteer search and rescue team in Calaveras County was able to locate a mother and her son in a "labyrinth-like" forest area because of notes the mother had left on their trail. The team was forced to use a HAM radio to communicate with authorities upon locating the pair.

A mother and her nine-year-old son lost in the rocky mountain forest of Sierra Nevada in the US state of California were rescued thanks to a trail of handwritten notes they left behind - after getting stranded for more than 24 hours.