FREDONIA, Ariz.—
Police say they still have no luck finding the man they believe murdered a Kane County Sheriff's deputy almost four days ago. The manhunt intensified in Southern Utah for 23-year-old Scotty Curley who is believed to be hiding near the Utah-Arizona border near Kanab. Police thought they had him cornered, but it appears he got away.Agents say they are getting frustrated with close calls and false alarms about Curley's whereabouts while out scouring the Red Rock Desert, east of Kanab. "I would love to get a call from Mr. Curley saying; This is where I am, come get me, I want to come home. I'm tire of running," said Sheriff Bill Pribil. "That would be the best solution for everyone."
Early Friday, police chased tracks in the desert sands, after a woman reported spotting Scott Curley outside her home.
"He had something strapped to his back that was possibly a firearm," said Jim Driscoll, the chief deputy of the Coconino County Sheriff's Office. "He was dressed in a brown shirt, jeans and a cap, which is consistent with the information we had as to how Mr. Curley was dressed yesterday after the shooting."
Now, police believe Curley may be outside a six mile area they'd originally pinned him in. Cops have been searching "spider holes," places they allege he set up to hide. Cops told Fox 13 he's stashed food here -- maybe more ammunition.
"We're finding Mr. Curley is very mobile, very agile and able to cover pretty good distances on foot," Driscoll said.
A warrant was issued on Friday, charging the 23-year-old Curley with first-degree felony murder in the death of Deputy Brian Harris. Police were chasing for him after a series of burglaries -- when they say he ambushed them.
"He was laying in wait underneath a tree," said Kane County Sheriff's deputy Alan Alldredge. "When these officers came up over the rise, he had his sights on 'em and he fired upon 'em and he hit deputy Harris."
Speaking at a news conference on Friday, Alldredge revealed new details about the killing of deputy Harris. Several shots were fired, one hit the officer and killed him. Throughout the day Thursday, police continued to pursue Curley in an area known as "The Clam Shell," about three miles east of Fredonia.
"They continued to pursue Mr. Curley far up into the canyon," Alldredge said. "There were other instances where they were able to see him through the trees, but he was a long ways off. They did make attempts at that point to fire upon him."
More than a hundred police officers from several states are here searching, and police say they'll stay here for the foreseeable future. Curley's family told Fox 13 they're worried about how this will end.
"I'm not exactly sure of the outcome of this whole thing. I hope Scott will just come in," said Curley's cousin Virgil Homer.
But Homer said that his cousin knows the area, and even knows where there are natural springs.
"He's going to be running for a while, I have a feeling," he said.
In an interview with Fox 13, Homer said he believes drugs may be a motive for the crime spree that led to the deputy's killing. He also expressed fear that his cousin wanted to die by "suicide by cop."
"I think he's been wanting to do this for a while, and I think he had it all planned," he said.
Police are prepared for the possibility Curley won't be taken alive. They served a search warrant Friday on his parents' home, looking for evidence of suicide by cop.
"We're pursuing that right now," Driscoll said. "That's a possibility. You ask about a search warrant, those are the kinds of things we would be looking for in a search warrant."
A memorial fund has been set up to help Deputy Harris' family at State Bank of Southern Utah.
FOX 13's Scott McKane reports.
