The report of a naked man found sitting in a pickup near an eastern Montana county road shortly Sunday evening led to a chase by vehicle, and searches on foot and by air for the suspect through early Monday afternoon, according to Roosevelt (Montana) County Sheriff Freedom Crawford.

Nearly 19 hours later, suspect Scott Rierson, 40, of Walker, Iowa, was apprehended in Dagmar, Mont. by Sheridan County Sheriff officials.

Crawford said agencies from Williams County in North Dakota and others in eastern Montana were involved in the probe Sunday evening and Monday. Highway Patrol troopers from both states were also on standby.

From information gathered in early reports, Rierson apparently zig-zagged between the borders of North Dakota and Montana, according to Crawford.

The suspicious man was reported at shortly before 8 p.m. (MT) Monday sitting in a 1975 white, two-door Chevy pickup with Minnesota license plates TKE533. A routine check of the vehicle found the pickup to be stolen from Minnesota. "A deputy responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle on Roosevelt County 405. It was about six miles north of Bainville, Mont. When the deputy arrived to respond, the suspect fled," Crawford said.

He said because of low visibility due to darkness and dust, the white mid-sized one-ton Chevy pickup with a snow plow on it, escaped in the chase from the deputy.

"He was naked when the motorist spotted him in the vehicle. He managed to get on some bib overalls later," Crawford said.

On Monday morning, the vehicle was found about 14 miles northwest of Bainville. Although about 300 yards over the North Dakota border, Crawford credits law enforcement agencies from North Dakota for letting the Roosevelt County Sheriff's Office for be the lead agency in the investigation.

A K-9 unit from the Tribal Police of Fort Peck was used in attempt to trace Rierson's location.

A search was conducted on roads and trails north of Bainville. After the search, one deputy stayed in the area of the scene until 7 a.m. Monday.

Dallas Aero of Poplar, Mont. was contacted and they flew over the area. They located the vehicle approximately 14.5 miles northwest of Bainville in a coulee on the North Dakota/Montana border.

A tip came from a concerned citizen in Dagmar early Monday afternoon. The witness spotted the suspect, described as 6 feet, 5 inches tall, weighing 250 pounds, having dark hair and a mustache. Despite the circumstances, law enforcement officials took the situation very seriously. Rierson's description was aired by the electronic media, and the print media was briefed about the situation.

Citizens were asked to lock their houses and vehicles and watch for a male matching Rierson's description, possibly walking around farms, ranches, etc.

"He was in a stolen vehicle. First, we did not want him to be a danger to the public, and second we did not want him to take anybody else's property," Crawford related.

Crawford said Rierson remains in custody at the Roosevelt County Jail. Bond has been set at $50,000 for possession of stolen property, a felony in Montana.

Crawford added that an arrest warrant had been issued against the suspect on drug-related charges. He does not believe California will seek extradition.

Crawford said he could not comment on the motive of Rierson allegedly stealing the car and the reason why he was unclothed at the time the time he was first spotted on the rural county road.

Other charges may be pending against Rierson, said Crawford.