Deputies arrest Florida fugitive during search for runaway

Published Sunday, April 27, 2008

By Brandon Evans

On Monday afternoon, Wise County Sheriff's deputies responded to a disturbance at a home located in the 400 block of County Road 1595, a few miles north of Alvord.

Deputies found a 16-year-old female runaway out of Florida who had been missing for nearly two months. They also located and arrested Bryan Price, 28, of Plant City, Fla., for harboring a runaway, aggravated sexual assault with a child and sexual assault of a child.

Price, a former sheriff's deputy in Polk County, Florida, knew the runaway for most of her life. He used to be roommates with the girl's father. Apparently the girl had a fight with her mother in early March and left with Price, according to police reports.

Sgt. Jim Iverson, with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Department in Florida, said they began investigating the runaway case in March. They eventually located Price in Flagler County and put together enough evidence to issue a warrant for interference with child custody.

"A week or so later (Price) quietly turned himself in on the warrant to Hillsborough County jail and bonded out," he said.

The pair then went to Daytona Beach. From there, they eventually fled to Wise County sometime last week. Price had a former stepdad who lived here. He told his stepdad that the girl was 19 years old and they just needed a place to stay for a few days.

After a few days in Wise County, the girl decided she wanted to go home. According to her, this is when Price "became angry and wouldn't let her leave."

She told Wise County deputies that "Bryan was obsessed with her and wouldn't let her leave" and he threatened to "stab her with a small handsaw."

She called 911 and hid in a shed until the deputies arrived.

The deputies arrested Price for one charge of harboring a runaway and two types of sexual assault. He still has to go back to Florida and stand trial for interfering with child custody charge.

As of Friday afternoon, Price remained in Wise County Jail under a $155,000 bond.