Richard Zach Wagner, 32, had been spotted on a utility task vehicle but fled into a wooded area when a deputy tried to make contact, S.O. officials said today in a news release.
A perimeter was quickly set up and multiple S.O. units, such as the K-9 Unit, along with several agencies, joined in the search. Wagner, however, was able to avoid capture by reportedly getting into a vehicle in the Northwood Road area.
“The OCSO got word last night that Wagner had battered the woman who picked him up and then forcefully taken her car from her in Baker,” S.O. officials said in the news release. “A deputy spotted Wagner in the car on Highway 85 in Laurel Hill this morning and tried to stop him, but Wagner sped off before hitting an embankment. He later bailed out of the car in Alabama and ran into the woods.”
Anyone with information on Wagner’s current whereabouts is asked to call the OCSO at (850) 651-7400 or Emerald Coast Crime Stoppers at (850) 863-TIPS (8477).
S.O. officials gave thanks to the Florida Highway Patrol, Walton County Sheriff’s Office, Okaloosa and Walton Correctional Institutions and Crestview Police Department for their help in trying to capture Wagner.