Manhunt in northern Burnet County

December 02, 2012, 6:00 pm by Alexandria Randolph

A vehicle and weapons theft last week led to a police pursuit and on-foot manhunt Sunday morning.

At 11 a.m. Sunday, police began pursuing a Ford Thunderbird convertible which matched the description of a car that had been reported stolen in Lampasas County last week. The driver led police on a chase up US 281 near Lampasas, where he drove off the road and escaped on foot into the woods, said Burnet City Police Chief Paul Nelson.

When police caught up to the vehicle, a female passenger reported that she had seen the driver put an unidentified object into the waistband of his pants before fleeing. Nelson said that because several pistols had been stolen with the vehicle, which is now in police custody, the unidentified suspect is considered armed and dangerous.

Police warn northern Burnet County and Lampasas County residents to be watchful. The suspect is a male between 5’9 and 5’11 and approximately 180 pounds. He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt and dark pants. He has a dark complexion and tattoos on the neck, chest, back and arms.

Lampasas police have called in search dogs from the Gatesville State Prisons to search the area between the intersection of US 281 and RR 183 south of Lampasas. The suspect was last seen at 5:45 p.m. entering a ranch property in the vicinity. 

For more on this story, see Tuesday's Highlander or Wednesday's Burnet Bulletin.