A Grand Prairie man accused of stealing two bags of money from a Master Vend driver was captured Friday afternoon in Corsicana following a full-scale manhunt, complete with an entire school of dogs.The dogs from around North Texas were less than a mile away at a police dog training seminar, and the handlers and their four-legged partners sprang into action as soon as the call came out.
The excitement began around 10:30 a.m. at Navarro Regional Hospital, while vending machine driver Bart Dunaway was servicing the machines, filling them with snacks and emptying their change reservoirs of cash, and evidently being watched by a man eating at a nearby table, explained Corsicana Police Detective Jason Grant. “While Dunaway had his back turned, the guy grabbed two money bags and took off,” Grant said.
Chasing him were the Master Vend employee and two witnesses as the suspect fled on foot down West State Highway 22.
The nearby schools, Collins Catholic School and Corsicana High School, were told of the pursuit, and went into lockdown, which means students are kept in their classrooms, and the campuses are on high alert. Also on lock-down were Collins Middle School and Bowie Elementary, said Kristin Zastoupil, spokeswoman for the Corsicana Independent School District.
Canine officers from around North Texas, who were at the Navarro College Police AcademyÂ’s seminar behind the old Kmart building, were asked to help in the manhunt. The search was centered on 110 acres of a semi-wooded area on the north side of Highway 22, just west of the Catholic school, according to police.