GOSHEN -- Someone fishing Wednesday afternoon near Twin Bridges found a body matching the description of James Valles, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
Valles, 35, of Elkins went missing after he went into Richland Creek just after midnight Feb. 28. He was running from a deputy who had used a stun gun on him.
He was officially declared missing March 4.
The body was found about 2:30 p.m. a half mile to a mile from the bridge, said Kelly Cantrell, Sheriff's Office spokeswoman.
A positive identification hadn't been made as of Wednesday afternoon, she said.
A deputy stopped Feb. 28 to check on an empty car beside the east Twin Bridge near Wyman Road, according to a preliminary report.
One man nearby ran away into the tree line. Officials haven't identified the man.
The deputy saw another man, believed to be Valles, hiding under the north part of the ledge. The man ran and during the chase, the deputy got close enough to hit him with the stun gun.
Valles fell forward and rolled down the hill, then got up and began running toward the river, according to the report. The deputy lost sight of him and heard a splash.
The deputy saw Valles floating north in the creek, according to his report.
Search teams looked in and around 5 miles of the creek and White River over the next few days and looked more Friday and Saturday, Cantrell said. Search and rescue teams used a helicopter and the Sheriff's Office boat equipped with sonar, Cantrell said.
Under Sheriff's Office policy, all "use of force" actions are reviewed. The deputy's use of force in regards to using a stun gun was determined to be within agency guidelines, Cantrell said last week.
NW News on 03/15/2018