PLASTER CITY --- An investigation is continuing in connection with a Bureau of Land Management ranger whose vehicle struck a parolee over the weekend in the desert, a spokesman said today.
BLM spokesman Steve Razo said the ranger was on routine patrol early Sunday when he spotted a pickup truck with expired reg tags. The moment the ranger went to inspect the vehicle, the suspect, identififed as 46-year-old Richard Rusk Orman, sped off in the truck only to abandon it later at an unspecified distance, Razo said.
A helicopter flown by the U.S. Border Patrol pilot assisted in the search for Orman, who apparently was hiding behind some bushes, Razo said. Once the abandoned pickup truck was found by helicopter, the search for Orman became a ground search, Razo said.
Orman, who took off his boots to avoid leaving foot print impression on the sand, was struck by a moving BLM ranger vehicle during the search and was flown out to a trauma center in Palm Springs, Razo said.
By SILVIO J. PANTA, staff writer
Comments