FORT DAVIS, Texas - Police scoured a remote west Texas mountain range yesterday for two escaped armed separatists a day after their group peacefully surrendered at the end of a week long siege.
Helicopters, at least 20 bloodhounds and two teams of troopers on horseback searched throughout the night for the two men, identified as Mr Richard Keyes and Mr Mike Matson.
The two men, both in their 20s, walked away from the "Republic of Texas" mountain compound when the separatist group's leader, Mr Richard McLaren, his wife and three others put down their guns and surrendered to police forces on Saturday. Police saw the two men escape into the Davis Mountains at around midday on Saturday but did not begin searching for them until four hours later.
"They are armed but there is no general public around them. They are out there with the deer and mountain lions." a Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman, Mr Mike Cox, said.