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| Manhunt For Branscome Suspended |
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| David Grimes | |
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The manhunt for Steven Dale Branscome, which had been centered on a stretch of farmland behind Indian Valley Elementary School in Floyd County was suspended at noon today.
There have been no reports of stolen cars, nor any sightings of Branscome since he was last seen Sunday morning. However, investigators believe Branscome is on foot, and still armed.
Police had already scaled down their search team from 150 officers to 50 officers this morning.
Both the Floyd County Sheriff's Department and the Virginia State Police are urging residents to be on the lookout for Branscome and to keep their vehicles and residences locked. Floyd County Schools are closed today.
Should anyone see Branscome or have any information on his whereabouts, they should contact their local law enforcement agency or the Virginia State Police.
Police have been looking for Branscome, 32, since Friday afternoon, after he shot Virginia State Trooper Richard Hughes in the neck in the Glen Lyn area of Giles County, along the Virginia/West Virginia border.
On Saturday, while police where concentrating their search efforts along the Giles County/Mercer County, W. Va. border, a 1988 pickup truck was stolen around 1 p.m. in Kellysville, W.Va. At that time, there was no concrete evidence that Branscome was the suspect in the stolen truck case.
On Sunday, at approximately 10:17 a.m., a Floyd County Sheriff investigator spotted the stolen pickup. The officer than contacted a Virginia State Trooper who was in the area for assistance, said state police Sgt. Bob Carpentieri Sunday afternoon.
The investigator, who was familiar with Branscome from the past, recognized the driver as being Branscome.
The officer followed the pickup until it turned down a driveway on Indian Creek Road. At that time, Branscome bailed out of the truck and ran into a wooded area, Sgt. Carpentieri said.
As the day wore on, more than a dozen police agencies poured into the tiny community and its command post, which was established at the Indian Valley Elem. School.
Tactical teams formed a perimeter around the area where Branscome was last seen Sunday morning. In addition, 13 intersections were being manned by officers, who stopped and search every vehicle passing through. Sgt. Carpentieri said that Branscome was last seen wearing a black short-sleeved T-shirt, jeans and either a baseball cap or knit cap. He also said that Branscome hair was now closely cropped.
Residents of the area around Indian Valley Elementary School are asked to use caution, police said.
Click here to see more photos from today's search in our photo gallery.
Photos: (Right) The 1988 Ford pickup, which was stolen in West Virginia on Saturday, was recovered after Branscome ditched it off Indian Creek Road Sunday. (Bottom left) Tactical Officers head to the command post at Indian Valley Elem. School Sunday afternoon. (Photos by David Grimes)
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Comments (5)
  written by katie, April 01, 2008
think you to all how helped out getting inf.out to the people who need in especially the ones in the Indian valley area we all love the support to yall have for us.
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 written by will, March 31, 2008
I live in the immediate area and honestly I am concerned that the manhunt was stopped too soon. There are plenty of people in the area that feel uneasy with the law enforcements decision to halt the search.
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 written by Mark L., March 31, 2008
I live near Glen Lyn. It is nice to be able to look at your website to get the latest information. I am feeling more comfortable knowing that he is probably a few more miles down the road. I am sure the people living near the area near Floyd can be happy as well to know what is going on.The photos are nice information. I was surprised to see just how many police officers are taking part. It helps to know that this area of Virginia can do a good job to help the residents feel secure at their homes.
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 written by a resident of floyd, March 31, 2008
thank you for the info .
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 written by Floyd resident, March 31, 2008
As a Floyd County resident, I would like to compliment your website for its outstanding coverage of this major incident here in Indian Valley. We appreciate the accurate and up to the minute information your reporter and website has provided. I also appreciated the way you covered our strike at Volvo. Again, great news reporting and keep up the good work. Floyd County residents appreciate what you are doing.
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