Missing Valrico teen Ashley Lyon, 16, was in critical condition with multiple stab wounds in a Louisiana hospital early Thursday after she was found with registered sex offender Steven Patrick Myers, deputies said.
The pair were spotted at the Tiger Truck Stop near Grosse Tete, La., at about midnight. A patron recognized them and contacted the Iberville Sheriff’s Office. When deputies arrived, they found Lyon and Myers in a Chevy 3500 flatbed pickup truck. They tried to stop them but Myers, who was driving, fled.
A chase ensued, stretching more than 40 miles to Lafayette, La., authorities said. Myers ran into four other cars in what authorities said was an attempt to create roadblocks behind him.
Stop sticks eventually deflated his tires, but Myers kept driving until his tires wore down to the rims. He got out of the truck with a knife in hand and started yelling at deputies to shoot him, deputies said. A police dog attacked him. He was arrested and treated for two self-inflicted stab wounds and bites from the police dog.
Lyon had been missing since Friday, and investigators and her parents believed she left with Myers. Her family earlier this week said she exchanged thousands of text messages with 41-year-old Myers, who was twice convicted of child molestation in Georgia.
Lyon was found inside the truck with multiple stab wounds and was taken to a local hospital in Lafayette, La., where she was listed in critical condition early Thursday.
“We don’t have anything new,” said Ashley’s uncle Todd Lyon, who was at her parents’ Valrico home early Thursday. “When we get more information and we know Ashley’s safe, that will be the time to communicate.”
Myers faces several charges in Florida, including interference with child custody and unlawful sexual activity with a minor.