Florida man goes missing in Benson

A 22-year old Florida man has gone missing after stopping his car while driving through Benson and running away, friends told police.

At about 3 a.m. on Nov. 25, Benson police received a report of a missing person. Two friends said they had been traveling with Christopher Cole Thomas on Interstate 40 when he stopped in Benson while en route to Durham.

As Thomas and his friends were driving through a Benson neighborhood – North Elm Street and East Morgan Street – Thomas stopped the car, got out and ran away, his friends said. The friends tried to find him but couldn’t and reported him missing.

In a news release issued Thursday, Benson police said they had had no confirmed sightings of Thomas since he disappeared. Also, he had not contacted the friends riding with him, his family or his employer.

Thomas, a white male, stands about 6’1” tall and weighs about 230 pound. He has brown/blonde hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a red T-shirt, black pants and a black Carhartt jacket, police said.

Thomas was living in Live Oak, Fla., but working in Minnesota and was headed through North Carolina to spend Thanksgiving with a co-worker living in Durham, police said.

Anyone who might have seen Thomas or who might have information about his whereabouts should call Benson police at 919-894-2091 or email crimeline@bensonpd.org.

This story was originally published December 1, 2016 at 4:28 PM with the headline "Florida man goes missing in Benson."