Authorities search for alleged escaped prisoner

MUSTANG - Deputies searching for a man, who ran from them after a traffic stop, didn't have any trouble finding out who he was.

He left his elderly mother in the car.

Authorities from Lyon, Washoe and Storey counties are looking for Jeffery Edward Thomas, who allegedly escaped from a fire camp in Washington state.

Thomas came to deputies' attention after Lyon County dispatchers received a call reporting a possible drunken driver in a white Suburban westbound from Fernley.

Deputies tried to stop the Suburban, but the driver, identified as Thomas, refused to yield.

He drove the Suburban off the freeway at the Derby exit and then into the desert. Thomas allegedly jumped out of the vehicle and ran out into the wilderness.

Thomas' mother was reported to be in good condition, according to the Lyon County Sheriff's Office.

Thomas is described as 6 feet tall, weighing 185 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes.

He may be armed with a .38 caliber pistol. He was last seen wearing blue jeans and no shirt.

Authorities are asking that anyone who sees Thomas notify them.