The search for a man suspected of fatally shooting a Maryland judge continues Monday, with officials saying they do not believe he is in the area where his SUV was found abandoned.
Pedro Argote, 49, was named the suspect in the fatal shooting of Washington County Circuit Court Judge Andrew Wilkinson, who was shot hours after he gave Argote’s estranged wife custody of their four minor children. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office described the shooting as a “targeted” attack.
Over the weekend, officials announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. The U.S. Marshals Service warned that Argote has ties to multiple locations, including Brooklyn and Long Island in New York, Tampa and Clearwater in Florida, Columbus in Indiana and other cities in North Carolina.
The sheriff’s office has described Argote as armed and dangerous and warned the public not to approach, but call 911 if they see him.
His SUV was found Saturday in Williamsport, Maryland, near the West Virginia border, but it wasn’t clear how long the vehicle had been there. It was found in a wooded area less than 10 miles from the shooting scene in Hagerstown.
The sheriff’s office said Sunday that it concluded a search in the Williamsport area and “no further information indicates that Argote is still in the immediate area.”
The shooting happened the same day Judge Wilkinson awarded Argote’s estranged wife a “partial judgment of absolute divorce” that granted her custody of their four children, denied Argote visitation and ordered him to pay child support. Last year, the wife filed a domestic violence petition against Argote, but it was dismissed two weeks later.
Asked Saturday about law enforcement contacts with the family, Sheriff Brian K. Albert said that deputies had responded to “verbal domestics,” or people arguing loudly, at the family residence in recent years but that they never fielded claims of physical violence as far as he knew.
Brett Wilson, the administrative judge with the circuit court of Washington County, remembered Wilkinson as an upstanding judge and member of the community.
“He acted with dignity at all times. He always made decisions based on intellect and honesty,” he said in an interview that aired Monday on NBC’s “TODAY” show.
Anyone with information on the location of Argote is urged to contact the Washington County Sheriff’s Office at 240-313-2170 or the U.S. Marshals Service at 1-877-WANTED2.
