PEORIA COUNTY, Ill. – Peoria County’s Sheriff admits that police have run into some “bad luck” in trying to find an Ohio man on the run.
Police have been hunting for 45-year-old Victor Farris since Wednesday, when he allegedly stole a vehicle in the area of Pioneer Parkway and University in Peoria. The vehicle had a 3-year-old child inside it, who was later found safe at a gas station on Airport Road near Bartonville.
Sheriff Chris Watkins tells WMBD’s “The Phil Luciano Show” that Farris has been able to hide well in cornfields in the county. And he says weather conditions have hampered some of the equipment
“Right now, there’s so much moisture and it was 90 degrees last week, so that heat kind of messes up the thermal imaging, and it’s just unfortunate,” Watkins said.
Watkins says there’s also the possibility that Farris may have left the area, with trains running through the Princeville area, where he was reportedly last seen. He notes that Farris was active on his cell phone and social media, but is not in possession of it anymore.
Watkins says Farris’ is considered dangerous because of his criminal history, with more than 20 arrests from Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana. He says Farris appears to have been passing through the area when he was arrested in Woodford County in late-August.
Despite the searches turning up empty, Watkins says he “hates losing” and will continue to follow up on leads. He says more than 20 came in from the past weekend, in areas such as Peoria Heights, Farmington Road, Chillicothe, Brimfield, and Route 78.
Watkins wants more people to keep calling in potential sightings of Farris at (309) 634-4450.
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