Montgomery County authorities are seeking Cody Ryan Drain, 26, who escaped custody in the early hours of Sunday, Dec. 30, stole a deputy’s car, eluding heavy police presence in the Christiansburg and Pilot area. By evening, police reported that residents in the 1200 block of Bow Hill Road discovered “discarded clothing matching the suspects” and the disappearance of “camouflage clothing, camo boots, and a handgun.”
A person matching the suspect’s description had asked a resident about the direction of Smith Creek Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Support Services Captain Brian Wright wrote in an email.
In the evening update, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s office also announced “a possible earlier sighting in the area of Barley Road” in the mountainous and sparsely populated region.
There continues to be a heavy law enforcement presence in these areas as the search continued through the morning of Dec. 31 involving “extra patrols, SWAT/ K-9 teams have been used for tracking and searching woods and buildings as needed” Wright wrote. Vehicle checkpoints have been set up
These sites are all in the Pilot area of the county.
Authorities are asking the public to be aware and use extreme caution should they come across someone matching the subject’s description.
This search began, according to a Montgomery County Sheriff’s office press release, following the pursuit of a car reported stolen out of Pulaski County. After fleeing Christiansburg Police Department and the Virginia State Police, both the driver, Drain, and passenger, Cynthia Renee Turpin, 22, also of Pulaski, stopped the car, ran and were arrested. Turpin was charged with Narcotics Possession and Conspiracy to Distribute Narcotics.
Drain was being held in relation to the stolen vehicle and multiple other charges, to include, DUID (Driving Under the Influence – Drugs). But, while waiting at the magistrate’s office in Christiansburg, he “was able to partially remove his restraints, gain access to the driver compartment, and steal a deputy’s vehicle,” the press release said.
The abandoned vehicle was found at the end of Elliott Creek Road less than 10 miles from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s office on Christiansburg’s Main Street.
Search teams from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s office, the Christiansburg Police Department, Blacksburg Police Department, and the Virginia State Police tracked the individual to the area of Craig’s Mountain Road.
The missing clothes and gun were reported in the 1200 block of Bow Hill Road.
The police request that anyone with information or if you notice anything unusual, please contact (540) 382-4343.
“Anyone who has contact with this individual should use caution and contact law enforcement immediately,” the announcement said.