MANHUNT ON FOR 2 WHO HELD WOMAN CAPTIVE

SIKESTON, Mo. -- A multistate manhunt is on for two men who shot at police early Thursday before disappearing into a field of corn and sunflowers.

James Darrell Dodds and William Hammer, both 37, later stole a van in New Madrid County and were believed to be traveling to Louisiana armed with several guns, said Capt. Dan Armour of the Sikeston Department of Public Safety.

"They have told family members that they would not be taken alive," Armour said.

Police believe the men's weapons included a 9 mm pistol, 357 mm pistol, sawed-off shotgun and .22-caliber rifle along with a handheld police scanner.

Police began looking for Dodds and Hammer after Hammer's wife told police the men had been holding her captive for two days at a residence in Bollinger County, said Lt. James Chambers of the Scott County Sheriff's Department.

"He kept her at bay at the house for a couple of days until it got to the point of her being scared of them," Chambers said.

Both men have had prior drug arrests, he said, and the wife said they were "tweaking," or having withdrawal symptoms, after several days away from drugs.

"She really feared for her safety," Chambers said.

Hammer's wife told deputies she left the Bollinger County home Wednesday night accompanied by the two men, and all three were traveling in separate vehicles to Sikeston. Near the Stoddard-Scott County line, the woman said she eluded the men and drove to the Scott County Sheriff's Department at Benton, Mo.

The woman warned deputies about the men, Chambers said, and told them she would be staying with friends in the area.

Gun fired

Deputies alerted other law enforcement agencies about the men, which led to Sikeston police discovering a black pickup truck parked at a convenience store about 2:20 a.m. near the intersection of U.S. 60 and 61.

When police approached, the pickup truck sped off going east on U.S. 60, Armour said.

During the pursuit, Dodds, the passenger in the vehicle, leaned out of the truck and shot at his pursuers, Armour said. Police were not injured and did not return fire because of the danger to other people, Armour said.

The chase continued into Mississippi County, where Hammer drove down a county road off Route CC. The two men then abandoned the pickup and disappeared into a field of corn and sunflowers.

Escaped field

Although police cordoned off the field and conducted searches with a helicopter and dogs, the men were not found.

Chambers said he was certain Hammer got out of the field before the helicopter left the ground.

"He is all messed up with drugs, but he knows the area like the back of his hand," Chambers said.

Chambers said the men could still be in the area. But Armour said the men have relatives in Louisiana and could be headed there.

The stolen van is a brown two-tone, 1984 Chevrolet custom model with a luggage rack on top and a spare tire and ladder on the rear, Armour said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.