LUBEC – Authorities issued a statewide alert Tuesday night for a man who stabbed a Washington County sheriff’s deputy and fled in a pickup truck.

Deputy Jamie Denbow, a contract officer for the town of Lubec, was struck in the leg after he stopped to assist what appeared to be a lost motorist on Route 191 by an old store. The man was standing in front of his truck with a map in his hand when Denbow went to talk to him, said Washington County Sheriff Joseph Tibbetts. The man then lunged at Denbow with a paring knife, which apparently was hidden by the map.

Denbow saw the knife and reacted quickly, striking the man’s arm with his flashlight and deflecting the blow intended for his chest, Tibbetts said. The knife pierced Denbow’s left thigh.

Denbow grabbed the knife and fell to the ground, attempting to draw his weapon. By the time he got his gun out, the man had driven away. The deputy radioed for help at 9:44 p.m. and authorities sealed off roads in the area, although Tibbetts said at midnight that they still hadn’t located the truck or driver.

The deputy managed to get part of the plate number, telling authorities the New York registration ended with A83 or AB8. The driver was described as being about 5 feet 7 inches tall, thin build with a mustache. He was wearing a white T-shirt and jeans.

The knife had a 11/2-inch blade; the wound was about 3 inches long and about an inch deep and required three stitches, the sheriff said. Denbow was fine and recovering at home.