A man broke free from an East Earl Township police officer attempting to detain him Thursday morning and eluded capture for more than three hours before he was finally arrested, police said.

Dean Charles Musser Sr., 26, was charged Thursday afternoon with resisting arrest, escape and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was arraigned before District Judge Rodney Hartman in New Holland and sent to Lancaster County Prison in lieu of $200,000 bail.

According to a police news release and a criminal complaint, Officer Michael Vance saw Musser getting into a car about 9 a.m. in front of his house on Pleasant Drive in East Earl Township. Knowing Musser was wanted on a bench warrant in connection with a probation violation, Vance followed the vehicle in his police car.

Vance pulled over the car, in which Musser was a passenger, on nearby Rancks Church Road and attempted to arrest him. Musser, however, resisted Vance, escaped and fled on foot. The search that followed involved personnel from East Earl Township police, New Holland police, state police and a K9 dog and officer from Lititz police.

Musser was located and arrested by Vance about 12:30 p.m. in the 100 block of South Custer Avenue in New Holland, more than 2.5 miles northwest of the initial traffic stop, police said. During the initial struggle, Musser pulled a hypodermic needle from his coat, Vance said. According to the criminal complaint, Musser later confessed to using the needle to inject heroin.

Police contacted Thursday evening declined to release further details of the incident. The person driving the car in which Musser was riding was not identified.

E-mail: tstuhldreher@lnpnews.com