PORT ANGELES — Police are asking the public for help in finding a man who is wanted on a felony warrant for violating state Department of Corrections terms of community custody and who is sought by Port Angeles police as a suspect in a felony assault.

Travis A. Nicolaysen, 26, hasn’t checked in with his parole officer since January, said the state Department of Corrections.

The underlying conviction was for felony violation of a domestic violence court order, said Port Angeles Police Sgt. Barbara McFall.

Port Angeles Police Department also has probable cause to arrest Nicolaysen for felony assault, McFall said, adding that police believe he seriously injured his girlfriend in an assault on March 28.

Police officers received a tip at about 2:25 p.m. today that Nicolaysen was seen walking near Civic Field but were unable to find him.

That was quickly followed by a report that he had been spotted in the 1200 block of E. First St.

Officer John Nutter was in a short foot pursuit with Nicolaysen before losing sight of him, McFall said.

Officers cordoned off an area from Olympic Medical Center to Liberty Street and were conducting a search with the help of a police dog and law officers from the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office, the State Patrol and the Border Patrol.

“At one point, Nicolaysen popped up again and began to run, resulting in another short foot pursuit before again losing sight of him,” McFall said.

Jag, a police dog and his handler, Corporal Kevin Miller, were called in to assist with the search at about 3:10 p.m.

By 4:43 p.m., officers had determined that he had gotten away and stopped the search in the area.

“It is believed he may have been driven away from the area in a vehicle,” McFall said.

Nicolaysen stands 5-feet-7-inches tall and weighs about 150 pounds.

He has long brown hair frequently worn in a braid, brown eyes, and has several tattoos, including a teardrop on his left check under his eye.

Today he was wearing a brown jacket, sunglasses, blue jeans, a backpack and a blue bandana.

The bandana was later found by the police dog.

Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to phone the Port Angeles Police Department at 360-452-4545.

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EARLIER STORY

PORT ANGELES — Police have cordoned off an area from the Olympic Medical Center to Liberty Street in a multiple-agency search that began at about 3 p.m. today.

Law enforcement officers are searching for a person with an outstanding felony warrant, according to one of the officers at the scene.

The search — assisted by Jag, a police dog — is concentrated on the Waterfront Trail and the hillside below and to the east of the hospital.

State Patrol troopers, Clallam County deputies and Border Patrol agents are at the area.

No more information is available now.