PEMBROKE, Va. – A man wanted in connection to home break-ins across several counties is still on the run.
Giles County residents said that getting a code red alert from the sheriff’s office, especially after 9 p.m., doesn’t happen often.
“It concerned me,” Debra Riggs who manages Big Dawgs Bargain in Pembroke.
Police believe they are looking for the same man who was captured on video in Pulaski and Bland Counties.
Riggs was not pleased getting a notice on her phone about Giles County deputies searching for a man with a rifle breaking into people’s homes and businesses.
“It was in our vicinity out behind here, so I got up to make sure the doors were double locked,” Riggs said.
Riggs operated the store for two years and said Pembroke is typically quiet and there’s no heavy law enforcement presence.
“Not very often, we have a good chief a good police force,” Riggs said.
According to Giles County Sheriff’s Deputies, they’re looking for a male who has outstanding warrants.
They said the unidentified man was last seen carrying a rifle, wearing a ball cap and blue jeans.
Law enforcement set up a perimeter near Castle Rock Golf Course and Treasure Island playground after they said witnesses saw someone who matched the description of the same person wanted on Wythe County Sheriff’s Facebook page.
Authorities said the man went into a wooded area near the golf course and law enforcement used canines from other jurisdictions as well as drones to try to find the man but didn’t.
While Riggs hopes no one is hurt, she has protection that includes more than just her dog.
“I’ve had my handgun with me and with running a store I think you should,” Riggs said.
Later on, authorities said the man was spotted on First Street in Pembroke around 3:50 p.m. Wednesday. He entered into a home without force, then fled into the woods toward the area of Horseshoe Bend, according to the alert. Find updates here.