NEW RIVER VALLEY, Va. – A man is disrupting a sense of security for residents across the New River Valley after breaking into multiple houses to find food.
He has been evading police for over 40 days, as of Wednesday.
Since his initial sighting, he has been spotted in four different counties.
Pulaski County officials said he has been spotted in six different locations throughout the county. Most recently, he was seen in Giles County along with three reports from citizens.
Giles County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Scott Moye said he has some ideas on how he is getting around.
“I believe he is using landmarks such as the river and train tracks to help him navigate,” Moye said.
Moye added that even with police search dogs, local terrain makes the search more difficult.
“You still have humans that have to keep up with that dog,” said Moye. “Most of these canines, you’re not sending an apprehension canine into the woods, a lot of times you’re sending in bloodhounds or ground disturbance canines in.
He’s also urging anyone who’s seen him to call 911 as soon as possible.
“Within 2 minutes of receiving the call we were there,” said Moye. “Now, that is important to note that we have to receive that call immediately, there can be no delay in calling 911.”
Moye said this unknown man has a lot of wilderness knowledge, and they’re just hoping for him to slip up.
“This is tough country to search, it’s mountainous, it’s wooded, it’s hard to find folks when they take off into the woods,” said Moye. “What you’re waiting on is he is going to make a mistake and we are going to take advantage of that.”
If you spot this man, you’re asked to call 911 and not approach him. He has not been violent but is still armed, authorities said.