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Steven Dale Branscome

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• Sunday's search for Branscome
• Community donates food to help Floyd Co. manhunt

Map

• See a map of the search area

INDIAN VALLEY -- A man who police suspect of shooting a Virginia State Police trooper, stealing guns and a string of vehicles, and threatening to kill at least one person, was spotted in Floyd County on Sunday morning but continued to elude police into the night.

The search for Steven Dale Branscome, 32, was concentrated Sunday on a stretch of farmland around Indian Valley Elementary School, where police from at least 16 agencies had set up a command center and many planned on spending the night.

Shortly before 10:30 a.m. Sunday, an investigator with the Floyd County Sheriff's Office spotted the pickup truck that Branscome was suspected of stealing Saturday in Kellysville, W.Va., state police Sgt. Bob Carpentieri said.

The investigator contacted a state trooper who was in the area, and the pair followed the truck -- which still bore the West Virginia license plates that police had told drivers to be on the lookout for Sunday -- onto Indian Creek Road.

The truck pulled into a driveway and the driver jumped out and ran into a wooded area, Carpentieri said. He said the Floyd County investigator was familiar with Branscome and recognized him.

Police surrounded the farm where Branscome was seen and attempted to close in on him, searching the land and buildings on it. A state police helicopter circled the farm from the air, and several tracking dogs were used to try to pick up Branscome's trail.

With temperatures in the low 30s and sleet or light rain falling throughout the day, police said they hoped that Branscome would get cold and tired and either give up or make a mistake as he eluded police. He was last seen wearing jeans, a short-sleeved dark T-shirt and a knit cap or baseball cap, and was not known to have had a jacket.

However, police said Branscome is from Floyd County and someone could be helping him avoid arrest.

Floyd County Sheriff Shannon Zeman said police had manned 13 intersections around the farmland, which is bordered by Indian Valley Road, Indian Creek Road and Showalter Lane. Vehicles that came and went were searched, and drivers who appeared to be alone were asked if anyone else was in the car.

Most of the checkpoints were gone after nightfall, though, and were replaced with what Carpentieri called "roving patrols."

"We're looking at it as an officer-safety-type situation now," he said.

Police were urging residents to use caution, lock their doors, remove their keys from their vehicles and report anything suspicious.

"We just want folks in the area to be alert for Mr. Branscome because he may still be armed and dangerous," Carpentieri said. "We're taking this situation very seriously."

The manhunt for Branscome began Friday afternoon and has shifted from Giles County to West Virginia to Floyd County.

Police said Branscome sped off in a Ford Tempo after seeing state police Troopers Richard Hughes and Stephen Barton as they drove to a home on East River Mountain Road in Narrows to serve warrants shortly before 4 p.m. Friday.

Branscome led police on a seven-minute car chase up a dirt mountain road across the West Virginia line, police said, before he hit a rock and crashed. He jumped out of the car and ran, police said.

At one point, Branscome jumped out from behind a tree and fired about seven shots at Hughes, police said. As Hughes tried to take cover, he was struck once in the neck.

Hughes, who works out of the Giles County state police office, was treated at Carilion Giles Memorial Hospital and released.

The Tempo had been stolen from the Floyd County School Board and spray-painted black, police said. Branscome had replaced its license plate with his own, they said.

West Virginia State Police are investigating Hughes' shooting. They have obtained warrants charging Branscome with malicious wounding and wanton endangerment.

Branscome was already wanted on outstanding warrants in Floyd, Pulaski and Wythe counties.

In Floyd County, Branscome is wanted for eluding police.

The Pulaski County Sheriff's Office has a warrant charging him with making or communicating threats to kill. The threats were made about a week ago and were directed at someone Branscome had a past relationship with, Sheriff Jim Davis said.

The Wythe County Sheriff's Office has been looking for Branscome in connection with a residential break-in in which four or five guns were stolen and a break-in at Austinville Lime Co., from which a safe and a truck were taken.

The break-in at the business took place just days after Branscome was fired from there, Wythe County Chief Deputy Chief Keith Dunagan said.

Anyone who sees Branscome, who police said is now sporting closely cropped hair, is urged to call 911.