PORT ANGELES — Police are seeking a man who ran from them Thursday and prompted an hourlong lockdown of Stevens Middle School.
Port Angeles police sought Jesse Allen Eisenhower, 24, of Port Angeles for an hour using a police dog after he fled on foot from them at West 12th and C streets at about 9 a.m., according to Deputy Chief Brian Smith.
Eisenhower is wanted on a Department of Corrections warrant for escape from community custody, has a pay-or-appear warrant from Clallam County Superior Court and two failure-to-appear warrants in Kitsap County, according to the Clallam County Superior Court Clerk’s Office.
Anyone who sees Eisenhower is asked to call 9-1-1.
He is described as being 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighing about 125 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.
Police received a report of suspicious activity at West 12th and C streets at 8:53 a.m., Smith said.
A police officer contacted a small group of people who were at the location. Eisenhower, who was part of the group and who was known to the officer, ran west toward nearby Stevens Middle, Smith said.
Eisenhower was seen on the school grounds. At the request of police, the school was put on modified lockdown at 9:17 a.m. to protect students.
Police set up a command post at the west end of the school, Smith said.
The school is at 1139 W. 14th St. Twelfth Street forms its northern boundary and D Street is on its western boundary.
Officer Lucas DeGand, with his police dog Bogey, tracked Eisenhower toward the school while officers from Port Angeles, the Elwha Police Department and the Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team set up a containment area, Smith said.
Eisenhower was not located during the extensive search in the neighborhood.
“We believe he left the secured area,” Smith said.
Lockdown at the school ended at 10:16 a.m. after it was determined that Eisenhower was gone, Smith said.
He said calls had been received Thursday with information on Eisenhower’s location, but officers have been on other calls and have not been in the right places to intercept him.
According to extensive court records, Eisenhower has been sentenced for attempting to elude police and bail jumping in the past.
In March 2014, he was sentenced to 20 months for identity theft.
“His choices have impacted a whole lot of people,” Smith said.
In addition to the school lockdown, the search took an entire police shift out of service for an hour, Smith said.
“We put other calls on hold,” he said.
Smith said that during the search, another man was spotted who was initially thought to be Eisenhower and who also ran when a police officer attempted to contact him.
The individual was not Eisenhower, he said, but officers were not able to stop him because they were already busy seeking Eisenhower.
“We don’t know who he was, but he was not the person we were looking for. He created a whole new problem,” Smith said.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
