ANDERSON, S.C. -- Police said that two boys who left home on Wednesday night and prompted a day-long lockdown at four school on Thursday were found by a driver passing by a construction site.

Investigators said that 13-year-old James Hansen and his brother, 12-year-old Cameron Thompson, left home with camping gear and three handguns sometime on Wednesday night. They said that four schools near the home were locked down as a precaution.

"I said, 'Man! The whole county is looking for you guys,'" said Walter Welsh, the man who police said found the boys. On Thursday night, Welsh slammed his car in park and then jumped out at a stop sign when his headlights hit a mound of dirt.

"When my light hit him, Cameron jumped behind the mound of dirt to hide," Welsh said. He said that he walked up to the boys, which he saw near Cobb's Glen on Old Williamston Highway in Anderson. He said that one of the boys said that the pair were just out walking.

"I said, 'You're Cameron aren't you?'" Welsh said.

Welsh said Cameron Thompson looked relieved and James Hansen seemed concerned.

According to Welsh, the boys said they were trying to hitch a ride back to North Carolina where they used to live, but something else bothered Welsh. He said that the boys had several loaded guns in their possession.

"There were a couple of .32-caliber guns and a .25-caliber gun," Welsh said.

Welsh said he called 911 to get the boys help and could tell they were scared and then he gave them some parental comfort.

"As long as you're safe and as long as nobody hurt you," Welsh said he told the boys. "You made a bad decision and it's going to take awhile to work through that."

The area where Welsh saw the boys is a construction site for a new school. He said the boys heard helicopters and activity around them, but probably didn't realize the magnitude of the situation.