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Geneseo fugitive told friends he'd rather die than go back to prison

In the days before he disappeared into a Geneseo cornfield, fugitive David Clyde Morgan told friends he would rather die than be imprisoned again.

In the days before he disappeared into a Geneseo cornfield, fugitive David Clyde Morgan told friends he would rather die than be imprisoned again.

"His friends say he was talking about suicide," said U.S. Marshal Charles Salina, whose agency has been heading the concerted law enforcement efforts to locate Morgan since mid-July, when the wanted felon fled in the aftermath of a fraught roadside stop on a rural stretch of Route 63.

On Wednesday, police closed portions of Route 63 between 20A and the Jones Street bridge to continue their search for any sign of Morgan.

Livingston County Sheriff Office plays the dash cam video of the encounter between Geneseo Police and fugitive David Clyde Morgan during their media briefing at the Livingston County Sheriff's Office in Geneseo Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2018.

"Our investigation is turning back to the last place we saw him," said Salina.

The search involves 60 law enforcement officers, including the members of the U.S. Marshal Service, Livingston County Sheriff's Office, state Police and Geneseo Police. As well, police have 10 cadaver dogs on the hunt and are utilizing other technology to assist, said state Police spokesman Trooper Mark O'Donnell.

Morgan, considered "armed and dangerous," was last seen running away from a traffic stop initiated Geneseo Police on July 18. Police say Morgan, of Wilmington, North Carolina and his girlfriend Sandra Brown were in a white SUV stolen from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina that day when they were pulled over by Officer Dylan DiPasquale.

Police allege that Morgan pointed a gun at DiPisquale, and that Brown also allegedly aimed what appeared to be a handgun at the officer. DiPisquale fired a shot.

The incident was recorded on dashboard video in the patrol car.

As Morgan fled, Brown was arrested. She remains jailed on charges including menacing a police officer and possession of stolen property.

Court papers suggest Morgan may have been on the run because of a July raid at his North Carolina home that yielded 3 pounds of marijuana. Morgan is on probation after serving 14 years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamines.

O'Donnell said law enforcement returned to Route 63 because there have been no credible sightings of Morgan anywhere in the United States or Canada since he disappeared.

"The last confirmed sighting of him was in that cornfield and we want to make sure he isn't in there deceased," he said.

Salina said Morgan's friends and "former criminal associates" told investigators Morgan said he would likely kill himself before returning to prison.

Includes reporting by staff writer Gary Craig.

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