Eric "Buck" Hall is fresh out of prison and on a crime spree in western Wisconsin, where he's been stealing vehicles, guns and hundreds of rounds of ammo and breaking into businesses as he eludes the law, authorities said.

Police said Monday they suspect the 38-year-old Hall could slip into the Twin Cities and protect his freedom by "whatever actions necessary," reads a crime alert shared by authorities in Wisconsin with their counterparts in Minnesota.

Authorities are zeroing in on two potential destinations for Hall's travels while heavily armed: Eagle River, Wis., where he has an ongoing child custody dispute with a former girlfriend; or St. Paul Park, where "he may have a contact," according to the Chippewa County Sheriff's Office in Wisconsin.

Hall's criminal history spans many years and includes convictions for burglary, theft and other property offenses.

According to authorities:

About 3 a.m. Friday, Hall took a bat or an ax to a glass door leading to a grocery store and a restaurant in River Falls. He left the restaurant with money from a safe and a gambling machine. Soon after, police were alerted to an SUV being stolen nearby.

The SUV surfaced in Cadott, Wis., getting gas. Video surveillance revealed that Hall was the driver.

Later Friday, Chippewa County law enforcement tried to stop the SUV, but Hall fled on foot after crashing the vehicle in the woods. Officers from several agencies and Wisconsin State Patrol aircraft failed to track Hall down.

On Saturday in the same county, Hall allegedly stole two vehicles, with one of them containing a scoped rifle with hundreds of rounds of ammunition and a pump-action shotgun. The weapons have yet to be recovered.

On Sunday, Hall is suspected of stealing yet another vehicle in New Auburn, Wis., this one a tan 2000 Chevy Silverado pickup truck owned by a volunteer firefighter. That vehicle remains missing.

Hall is described as 5 feet 10 inches tall, 170 to 190 pounds, with blue eyes. He has numerous tattoos, wears glasses and has a goatee and beard.

The truck has Wisconsin license plate JE7691. It has several pink and hunting-themed stickers, as well as emergency lighting and siren.

Anyone with information about this case is urged to call the Chippewa County Sheriff's Office at 1-715-726-7714.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482