Ashley Ford, age 27, was arrested May 4 by officers of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
Las Vegas police officers came upon a female in an injured condition Tuesday night, and stopped to see if they could offer assistance. They transported her to a Las Vegas hospital, where she was treated for minor injuries and released. By that time, her identification as wanted Idaho suspect Ashely Ford had been established, and she was subsequently arrested on the outstanding Idaho warrant for accessory to second-degree murder and as a material witness in the case. She is currently being held at the Clark County Detention Center in Nevada.
Nampa Police say that back on March 10, James Mancuso, age 32, was involved in a fight with Robert L. Stevens in front of a Nampa home. In the course of the altercation, police allege that Mancuso stabbed Mr. Stevens. Mr. Mancuso then fled the scene with Ashley Ford. The victim, Mr. Stevens, was transported to a hospital, where he died the following day.
Mr. Mancuso and Ms. Ford were being sought in connection with that southern Idaho murder, when the car they were driving was spotted a couple of weeks later, hundreds of miles north in northern Bonner County near Race Track Road. Police in Bonner County pursued the couple in stormy, muddy conditions, at times traveling off road. The couple was able to elude officers, and their vehicle was later found abandoned. Soon afterward, the Bonner County Sheriff's office received a report that a white Toyota pickup had been stolen in that same area. It was suspected the couple had stolen that vehicle.
No trace of the couple was found, until 10 days after they had been pursued in Bonner County, when the stolen white Toyota pickup was recovered abandoned April 2 in the Spokane Valley. Since then, there has been no further news on the at-large couple until Ms. Ford was found and arrested in Las Vegas, that arrest occurring on May 4.
Nampa Police detectives traveled to Las Vegas to interview Ford about this case. “The Nampa Police Department is thankful for the assistance of the LVMPD in locating and apprehending Ashley Ford. We hope that by finding her that it will speed up the apprehension of James Mancuso,” said Nampa Police Sergeant Tim Riha. “Our detectives are in Las Vegas and are still actively working this case to bring justice for the victim in this brutal crime.”
The Nampa Police Department is still looking for Mancuso. His last known location was in Las Vegas on May 3. His current location is unknown. He possibly has grown a goatee and usually wears glasses. Mancuso may be driving a gray or silver GMC 4WD pickup. The year and license plate of the vehicle are unknown.