BOTTINEAU N.D. — On November 20, 2020, at approximately 10:15 p.m., the Bottineau County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) requested assistance from the U.S. Border Patrol in locating a subject who had absconded during a traffic stop. A deputy had stopped a vehicle that drove away as he approached it. The deputy pursued the vehicle until it eventually stopped. He arrested the lone occupant of the vehicle and advised responding units the location he believed the passenger absconded.
Border Patrol agents assigned to the Bottineau Station responded to the area to look for the passenger. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) agents were also in the area patrolling by helicopter. They spotted an individual lying in tall grass and guided ground units towards the location where they arrested the man. When agents turned the man over to the BCSO Deputy, the Deputy said it was not the same man he observed in the front passenger seat.
Agents and officers continued searching the area and were able to find fresh footprints in the snow. They tracked the footprints and located another man lying in tall grass who was later identified by the Deputy as the passenger who had absconded during the stop. All three subjects in custody were turned over to the Rolette County Sheriff’s Office.
“We are thankful that nobody was hurt during this incident,” said Acting Chief Patrol Agent William J. Maddocks. “Vehicle pursuits are always a dangerous situation and we are pleased with this outcome. I’m glad that our agents and AMO were there to assist our law enforcement partners in arresting these three individuals.”