Manhunt resumes after sighting | ||||
Copyright © 1998 The Durango Herald. All rights reserved. |
July 1, 1998 By Joshua Moore Herald Staff Writer MONTEZUMA CREEK, Utah SWAT teams from six local agencies and the FBI converged here Monday after a witness reported seeing two men with assault rifles Sunday night checking a water truck parked near the San Juan River. Teams from seven agencies searched the area around the water truck and found tracks leading south to the San Juan River. Searchers were able to follow the tracks west along the north bank of the river for two miles, said Navajo Police Capt. Bill Hillgartner. Involved in the search Tuesday were the Durango Police Department, La Plata County sheriffs Office, Montezuma County sheriffs Office, San Juan County, Utah, San Miguel County sheriffs Office, the Navajo Nation and the FBI.
The witness, whom authorities identify as a 12-year-old girl who lives near where the water truck was parked, was able to identify the two men as Alan "Monte" Pilon, 30, of Dove Creek, and Jason Wayne McVean, 26, of Durango, by looking at photographs of the two fugitives. She said one man was thin, while the other was heavier and walked slowly with a limp. Pilon and McVean have eluded searchers for 33 days after allegedly shooting Cortez Police Officer Dale Claxton May 29 and wounding two deputies before fleeing into Cross Canyon, west of Cortez. A third suspect, Robert Mason, 26, of Durango, was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound June 4 near Bluff, Utah. Searchers were planning to use nightvision goggles to patrol the river Tuesday night and would resume a tactical search of the river area today, Hillgartner said. The tracks are reportedly the same as those found May 29 near Cross Canyon, but officials would not confirm that report until the Colorado Bureau of Investigation completed its investigation. Hillgartner described the witness as "cracker-jack credible," saying she was able to identify the two suspects immediately and even said the suspects rifles were similar to the AR-15s carried by SWAT team members. He said the girl told searchers the men wore knapsacks and carried rifles strapped to their backs. The atmosphere at the Montezuma Creek command post was upbeat Tuesday, with most searchers relieved to discover evidence that the two fugitives are still in the Four Corners area. "Theres something keeping them here," said Montezuma County sheriffs Capt. Joey Chavez. Searchers used bloodhounds, German shepherds and a border collie Monday to follow the trail along the river, Chavez said. High temperatures forced searchers to work the dogs only in the early morning and late afternoon, Chavez said. Eight FBI SWAT team members from Salt Lake City, Utah, arrived in Montezuma Creek Tuesday afternoon, after FBI Special Agent Dorothy Graham was notified of the sighting, Hillgartner said. Chavez said more than 75 men had taken part in the search since Monday morning. The girl reported seeing the suspects at around 5 p.m. Sunday, but searchers did not converge on Montezuma Creek until around noon Monday, he said. The slow response was partially due to the number of calls law enforcement officials have been receiving about possible sighting of the two suspects, Hillgartner said. He said he realized Monday morning that the report from Montezuma Creek sounded more credible than others, and searchers were dispatched immediately. One sighting Hillgartner dismissed was the burglary Thursday of a convenience store in Montezuma Creek. Someone broke into the store at 1:51 a.m., said the stores owner, Carol. Burglars disconnected the stores power at a utility box and tore a door from its frame. The thieves stole bread, canned food, a case of Pepsi and two cartons of Marlboro Light cigarettes, she said. They also took about $10 in cash that was sitting in a jar under the empty register, she said. |
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