Vehicle linked to manhunt located

SANDPOINT ­— A vehicle reportedly stolen by two people implicated in a murder in Nampa was located in Spokane Valley on Saturday, according to the Bonner County Sheriff's Office.

The stolen 1991 Toyota pickup truck was discovered at an undisclosed location. The sheriff's office said it is continuing to bird-dog any local leads about the whereabouts of James Patrick Mancuso and Ashley Ford, who are wanted in connection with a fatal altercation on March 10 in Nampa.

Mancuso, 34, is accused of second-degree murder in the death of Robert L. Stevens, 30. Witnesses told police they saw Mancuso and Stevens arguing outside a garage before Stevens was stabbed. Stevens died the following day, according to Nampa Police.

Ford, 27, is considered a person of interest in the case.

Mancuso and Ford were involved in a traffic stop in Bonner County on March 23, but fled the stop and managed to give pursuers the slip after an Idaho State Police patrol vehicle became stuck near railroad tracks in Kootenai. The pickup truck discovered on Saturday was stolen after Mancuso and Ford ditched their Subaru on.

The U.S. Marshal's Office is participating the search for Mancuso and Ford. Those with information on the whereabouts of Mancuso and Ford are asked to call Bonner Dispatch at 265-5525.