A rural robbery escalated to a pursuit through Montesano proper on Monday afternoon.

The Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office is continuing to search for suspects, said Undersheriff Kevin Schrader.

“We responded to a report of burglary on the 700 block of Geissler Road in Montesano,” Schrader said in a phone interview. “The homeowner found the suspects leaving the location.”

Suspects were driving a dark-colored Ford SUV with a trailer covered in a brown tarp, possibly concealing stolen property, Schrader said. A sheriff’s deputy reacquired the suspects near U.S. Highway 12, Schrader said, before they continued south, driving through the Alder Grove area, before looping back north, onto Pioneer Avenue, and through downtown Montesano.

“We flooded the area trying to find it,” Schrader said.

About two hours later, the vehicle and the trailer were located abandoned down a dead-end road, Schrader said, but no suspects were in evidence. Schrader said they suspect a second vehicle was used to help them clear the area.

“We have leads on the suspects but we haven’t caught ‘em,” Schrader said. “We know who they are. We’ll catch ‘em.”

Contact Senior Reporter Michael S. Lockett at 757-621-1197 or michael.lockett@thedailyworld.com.