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BREVARD, N.C. (AP) — The search for an armed suspect believed to be in a national forest in North Carolina is keeping visitors away and causing businesses in the area to lose customers during their most lucrative time of year.
The Asheville Citizen-Times reports authorities continued to keep hundreds of acres of the Pisgah National Forest off-limits to hikers, bikers and campers Monday as seven law enforcement agencies searched a third day for 38-year-old Phillip Michael Stroupe II of Weaverville, described as a suspect in a break-in.
The forest along U.S. 276 was evacuated Saturday, including popular areas such as Looking Glass Falls, Sliding Rock and the Cradle of Forestry.
Transylvania County Sheriff's Capt. Jeremy Queen says about 10,000 people usually visit the area on a summer's day, though police haven't evacuated that many people.
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Information from: The Asheville Citizen-Times, http://www.citizen-times.com
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