As the search for the man suspected of shooting and killing a Maryland judge continues, his vehicle was found Saturday morning as he remains at large.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office said that a resident found a silver Mercedes SUV, believed to be driven by 49-year-old Pedro Argote, in a wooded area off Bottom Road in Williamsport, Maryland, around 11 a.m. Saturday and notified authorities.
Argote is suspected in the murder of 52-year-old Maryland Circuit Court Judge Andrew Wilkinson.
The Associated Press reported Friday that Wilkinson was shot outside his home Thursday night in Hagerstown after ruling against Argote in a divorce case in which Argote’s wife was given custody of the couple’s four kids.
Washington County Sheriff Brian Albert said that the ruling was the motivation for the killing.
“We’re gonna catch this guy. It’s just a matter of time,” Albert said at a Saturday news conference. “We just ask you to avoid the search area.”
Albert said Argote had no criminal record but sheriffs responded to his home “a couple of times” for verbal domestic abuse. He added that investigators haven’t gone through the Mercedes yet, but will access the computers and GPS to track his activities.
In a post Sunday afternoon, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said it had concluded a search of the Williamsport area and “no further information indicates that Argote is still in the immediate area.”
Albert added that Argote’s family is cooperating with law enforcement.
“We’re just going to be vigilant until we bring him to justice or we capture him,” Albert said.
Dennis Grove, the assistant mayor of Williamsport, told reporters that people in town are paying close attention to the search for Argote following the discovery of his vehicle.
“If, in fact, he killed the judge, then he certainly isn’t going to worry about killing someone else,” Grove said.
Authorities ask anyone with information about Argote’s whereabouts to immediately contact them. There will be a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to his arrest.
The Associated Press and CBS contributed to this report.
