Authorities investigate Rudolph, weigh venue on bombing charges.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

Byline: Gary L. Wright

CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ As law enforcement authorities mounted a full-scale investigation Sunday to figure out how Eric Rudolph eluded capture for five years, prosecutors were busy mapping out a strategy to prosecute the 36-year-old bombing suspect.

Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson conferred by telephone with U.S. attorneys in Atlanta and Birmingham, Ala., in hopes of reaching a decision by Monday on where Rudolph, suspected of bombing attacks that killed two people and left more than 150 injured in those two cities, will be prosecuted first, a Justice Department spokesman said.

While those discussions were being held, police and federal agents scoured Will Scott Mountain in Murphy, N.C., using four-wheel all-terrain vehicles to climb the steep hills where they suspect Rudolph hid for at least some of the past five years.

The authorities, some wearing camouflage, were making sure there was no bomb-making equipment in the rugged woods, while also searching for evidence such as fingerprints and pictures. The agents found two sleeping bags they believe Rudolph used, according to Murphy Mayor Bill Hughes.

"I'm sure there are probably abandoned camp sites all over," Hughes said.

In downtown Murphy, about 170 miles due east of Charlotte, gun-toting agents were stationed on a roof and patrolled the streets around the county courthouse and sheriff's office, where Rudolph continued to be held.