Fugitive remains on the loose

SANDPOINT — Authorities are sifting through leads on the possible whereabouts of a Bonner County man who let himself out of a police vehicle while handcuffed last weekend.

“There’s been a fair amount of information coming into the prosecutor’s office and to our dispatch,” said Idaho State Police Trooper Jeff Jayne.

Leland Elroy Dunnagan was arrested for illegal possession of firearms on Saturday, but escaped the vehicle through an unlocked door and managed to slip away while the trooper’s back was turned.

The guns were discovered during a burglary investigation. Dunnagan is prohibited from possessing firearms because of a previous felony conviction.

Dunnagan, 52, is 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighs 145 pounds. The Arizona native has brown hair and hazel eyes.

Dunnagan has been known to use the alias Lee Elroy Deloizer.

The escape happened at Dunnagan’s residence at 12 Wellington Road in the Rapid Lightning area.

Authorities initially suspected Dunnagan might have been in the company of his brother, Allen Lee Dunnagan Sr., after the escape. Allen Dunnagan, however, has denied involvement in his brother’s disappearance, according to sheriff’s officials.

Leland’s Dunnagan’s van has since been reported missing. A description of the vehicle was not available late Wednesday.

Officials consider Leland Dunnagan armed and dangerous, and those who encounter him are asked to call 911.

Leland Dunnagan is also a registered sex offender in Idaho. He was charged in Twin Falls County with three counts of lewd conduct with a minor in 1991. Three years later, one of the counts was amended to rape and the other two counts were dismissed, according to the Idaho State Judiciary’s court data repository.

His record in Bonner County consists of traffic and motor vehicle-related violations, the repository indicates.

“He’ll turn up somewhere,” Bonner County Undersheriff Bob Bussey said on Wednesday.