A manhunt was underway in the Benson area Tuesday for Justin Stone, a 42-year-old man considered armed and dangerous after he fled a traffic stop near Interstate 10 and Ocotillo and vanished on foot. His car later turned up empty at a gas station along Highway 90, and investigators warned he may have ditched his yellow shirt for other clothing to avoid detection.
The Cochise County Sheriff's Office said Stone fled from Benson Police Department officers who tried to pull him over, abandoning his vehicle near the Maverick gas station on SR 90, according to abc15.com. He has an active warrant for failing to appear on multiple charges, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, kidnapping, possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited possessor, and armed robbery, the outlet reported. The Cochise County Sheriff's Office and Benson Police Department are assisting the U.S. Marshals Office in the search, per the same report.
Officials said Stone was last seen wearing a bright yellow shirt but may have changed into a black jacket and a white blanket, or other clothing, to blend in. Investigators also warned he may try to get into another vehicle or a residence to evade law enforcement, and they urged anyone who spots him to call 911 immediately rather than approach him, the station's report notes.
A January Shooting at a Marana Hotel
This is not Stone's first run-in with law enforcement this year. He was shot during an incident at a Marana hotel in January, when Pima County Sheriff's Department detectives attempted to serve an arrest warrant, according to tucson.com. That outlet reported the shooting happened about 11 p.m. on Jan. 11, while a separate account from kvoa.com said detectives attempted to serve the warrant before 11 a.m. that same day. The discrepancy in timing between the two reports has not been resolved.
During that encounter, Stone allegedly tried to flee by running through the hotel along with Teresa Jean Sturges, 48, before the confrontation turned violent. Tucson.com reported that Stone held a gun in each hand and was shot after he refused a detective's orders to drop the weapons, pointing the handguns at hotel employees and a deputy in the lobby. He was struck in the torso and hospitalized with what were described as non-life-threatening injuries, and no one else was reported injured.
Crime Spree Charges and Bond Amounts
Stone and Sturges were wanted in connection with a months-long crime spree, according to the Pima County Regional Critical Incident Team, which investigated the deputy-involved shooting. The pair faced charges including armed robbery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, witness tampering, kidnapping, burglary, vehicle theft, theft, and misconduct involving weapons. Stone was held on $172,500 bond following his arrest, while Sturges was held on $100,000 bond.
Sturges was arrested that night as well but was later released. The Pima County Regional Critical Incident Team said she has since died in an unrelated incident on Feb. 19, according to the same account from tucson.com.
As of Tuesday, the search for Stone in the Benson area continued, with authorities offering no update on whether he had been located. Anyone with information was asked to contact 911 rather than attempt to approach him directly.
