GLENBURN – Maine State Police were still searching Friday for a man who fled from his vehicle late Thursday afternoon after failing to stop for an officer on Pushaw Road.

Trooper Mike Johnston said he saw a van pass him shortly after 6 p.m. Thursday that had no front license plate and no inspection sticker. The trooper turned around to pursue the van, but become caught in traffic.

By the time Johnston caught up with the van, it had pulled into a driveway off Pushaw Road. The trooper said he saw a man he recognized as the driver walking around the back of a barn near the residence.

“He was trying to pretend like he had nothing to do with the van, then he took off around the barn when he saw me pull in,” Johnston said.

The trooper said he pursued the driver on foot, but because there were four other passengers in the van, he had to secure them first.

“I wanted to make sure they weren’t a threat,” Johnston said of the other passengers, Molly Murphy, Michael Monroe and two children, all from Bradford.

Johnston said he lost the suspect in the tree line behind Bomarc Industrial Park and called for a K9 unit. The dog tracked the man for several miles Thursday before it lost the scent, Johnston said.

The other passengers identified the driver as Terry Michaels of New York, but Johnston said he didn’t know if he believed them.

“They were pleading ignorance,” Johnston said of the two adults and two children in the van, who were all from Bradford. “We were unable to find anyone with that name in our database and [the passengers] were being very tight-lipped.”

Bangor police assisted with the search, which continued into the evening Thursday and was resumed Friday, the trooper said. Johnston said he had a good idea why the suspect ran from officers.

“We’re sure he has outstanding warrants and possibly suspensions,” Johnston said.

Johnston said the man would be charged with failure to stop for an officer, a Class C offense. He said Friday that he had reason to believe the suspect might be in Bradford and was searching that area Friday evening. The van was registered to Carol Murphy of Bradford, Molly Murphy’s sister, Johnston said.

Johnston described the alleged driver as a white male, about 5 feet 7 inches tall with a full beard and a lip piercing. He was wearing dark clothing and was “scruffy looking,” the trooper said.