Search finds no sign of gunman

Local law enforcement spent several hours on a manhunt Sunday after a railroad worker reported being robbed at gunpoint that morning.

Donley County Sheriff Butch Blackburn said his office was alerted at 9:39 a.m. that a Burlington Northern Santa Fe employee said a man had held him up near the railroad on Kearney Street and taken off with about $80.

“He claimed the person had brown, very dirty, matted up hair; a cut on the bridge of his nose; a big gauge earring in his left ear; and appeared to have had one in his right ear that had been ripped out some time.”

Blackburn said the description further included that the man was wearing a gray dirty shirt and blue jeans with the knees out and that the suspect smelled bad.

The suspect allegedly ran east down the railroad, picked up a bicycle, and disappeared possibly into the trees, Blackburn said the man told authorities.

The sheriff’s office, along with the Department of Public Safety and Game Wardens from the Texas Parks & Wildlife Dept., searched for the suspect all day Sunday and through the night.

A search dog picked up no scent or tracks along the railroad, the sheriff said. However, the dog did find the victim’s pick up keys within 30 seconds where the suspect had supposedly thrown them.

“This alleged crime is still under investigation,” Blackburn said. “BNSF railway police are assisting with the investigation.”