Meridian and Nampa Police officers searched west Meridian neighborhoods Tuesday afternoon for a wanted man –- but the suspect remains at large.
He’s identified as Brandon Stephenson, 25, a man wanted on a $50,000 failure-to-appear warrant out of Elmore County, police said.
Nampa detectives were conducting an investigation in Ada County when, about 2 p.m., they recognized a person of interest in their case as a dark blue 2006 BMW passenger vehicle passed them.
“Detectives followed the vehicle to the area of Franklin Road and N. McDermott Road in Meridian, where they attempted to conduct a traffic stop. The driver failed to yield -- and continued to drive while still observing all the rules of the road. The driver entered a residential area near Cherry Lane and North Ten Mile Road, where the pursuit was discontinued,” said Nampa Police Sgt. Tim Riha.
“Detectives lost sight of the vehicle, but later found it on West Pine Avenue, east of North Black Cat Road, at the dead end. The driver had fled on foot, leaving behind two passengers,” Riha said.
The two passengers were detained for questioning and later released. A search was conducted for the driver. Nampa Police also deployed an unmanned aerial system (a drone) to assist in the search, but the driver was never located.
Nearby Chaparral Elementary was put on shelter-in-place, which means the exterior doors were locked. The measure was taken as a safety precaution, said West Ada School District spokesman Eric Exline. There were no students in the school at the time; however, administration staff and teachers were the only ones in the building.
Stephenson is not considered armed or dangerous.
If you’ve seen Stephenson, you are urged to call CrimeStoppers at 343-COPS or the Nampa Police Department at 465-2257.
