Fugitive still at large after Wis. Wal-Mart abduction
TOWN OF SEYMOUR, Wis. -- A man suspected of abducting a female Wal-Mart employee at gunpoint in southeastern Wisconsin and driving 230 miles before she managed to escape remains at large.
The Eau Claire police department has identified the fugitive as 24-year-old Mitchell F. Owens. They say he knows the 21-year-old victim, reports CBS affiliate WDJT.
The woman escaped at an Eau Claire convenience store Monday, but police say Owens sped away. Officials say he fled on foot into a heavily wooded area in the Town of Seymour after leading officers on a high-speed chase and crashing his car. Officers say he was armed with a long gun.
The woman was abducted from the parking lot of the Walmart where she works in Mukwanago around 3:30 a.m. Monday, reports the station. Police say Owens forced her into his car when she came out of the store for a break.
Another employee received calls and text messages from the woman indicating she needed help, reports the station. Police reviewed surveillance video from the parking lot and saw what appeared to be an abduction.
They released an image of a man in the store's parking lot, apparently carrying a long gun.
Police tracked the victim's phone to Eau Claire, nearly 230 miles northwest of the Wal-Mart, and the woman was able to escape around 9:45 a.m..
Eau Claire police said Tuesday officers monitored the perimeter of a contained area where Owens could be hiding overnight. Residents of 16 homes that were evacuated were asked to call law enforcement Tuesday to make arrangements to return to their houses.