Reward Increased to $10,000 in Hunt for Deputy-Shooting Suspect
Associated Press
RUIDOSO DOWNS — The condition of a Lincoln County sheriff's sergeant who was shot last week has improved, as authorities continued to comb the countryside of southern New Mexico to find the man suspected of shooting him.
The U.S. Marshals Service announced Saturday that the reward for information leading to the arrest of fugitive Kurt Sohrbeck, 53, was doubled to $10,000, the agency said in a news release.
Sohrbeck also was scheduled to be profiled on the television show America's Most Wanted on Saturday night and information about the search will be added to the popular television show's Web site, the release said.
Authorities describe Sohrbeck as a career criminal and con artist, who has used other identities in the past to escape the law.
Sohrbeck was last seen Thursday afternoon in a black GMC pickup truck heading west on U.S. 70. He is accused of shooting Sgt. Robert Shepperd, who spotted and cornered him in Ruidoso Downs.
State police Lt. Rick Anglada said authorities are reluctant to say where they're searching for Sohrbeck.
"We have lots of resources out there," Anglada said.
As the search continued, Shepperd's condition was upgraded from critical to stable condition at an El Paso, Texas, hospital, a hospital spokeswoman said. He was being treated for a pair of gunshot wounds to the chest and one to the head.
Sohrbeck has a criminal record in 11 states, including pending charges for assault and eluding police in Whatcom County, Washington. He also is wanted by Washington authorities for allegedly stealing several identities, committing crimes and racking up thousands of dollars of debt for the ID theft victims.
The U.S. Marshals Service added another warrant to his record, charging Sohrbeck with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. Additional charges related to Shepperd's shooting are pending, the release said.
The reward increased to $10,000 after City Bank New Mexico in Ruidoso offered an additional $5,000.
The increased reward "underscores the heinous nature of the crime which was committed on Thursday. The law enforcement community will continue its relentless search for Sohrbeck," said U.S. Marshal Gorden E. Eden Jr.
While authorities believe Sohrbeck still might be in the area, wanted posters featuring his photo were sent out to law enforcement agencies across the nation, the U.S. Border Patrol was alerted and casinos in the region were notified since Sohrbeck was known to frequent gaming establishments in the past.
Shepperd spotted Sohrbeck in a pickup in the village of Ruidoso Downs on Thursday. After the deputy pursued Sohrbeck and cornered him, authorities said Sohrbeck allegedly got out of the truck and shot the sergeant.
Shepperd, a husband and father of two, was not wearing a bulletproof vest.
New Mexico authorities had been looking for Sohrbeck for a couple of days before his run-in with Shepperd. Sohrbeck's mother lives in the Ruidoso area, and he has relatives elsewhere in the state.
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