A 42-year-old Lebanon man who was involved in a wild incident Jan. 9 east of Houston was apprehended and could face charges.
According to a written report submitted by a Texas County Sheriff’s Department officer, a 44-year-old Houston man reported that a man had come to his Boster Road residence in the morning and ran at him with a hatchet, claiming someone was out to kill him.
The officer reported that the homeowner stated he calmed the man down and volunteered to drive him to town where he could get help. On the way to town, the suspect reportedly began yelling and wanting out of the vehicle, so the driver stopped and let him out at a location on Highway 17 east of Houston.
The suspect then ran to a truck parked at a nearby business and tried to steal a bow out of it, but was run off by the driver and other men and headed into an adjacent field on the other side of the highway, according to a report. After a foot pursuit through the field and some thick brush, the suspect was apprehended and taken to Texas County Memorial Hospital for treatment and observation, under the guard of jail staff.
A report was sent to the county prosecutor for potential charges against the man, who was also discovered to have an active probation and parole warrant.
Missouri State Highway Patrol officers assisted in the incident.
In a related case, a 26-year-old Houston woman called the sheriff’s department on Jan. 9 to report that her 55-year-old father’s Highway 17 home had been broken into, and that three windows had been broken and a hatchet stolen.
The same Lebanon man was determined to be a suspect in the break-in, and a report about that incident was also sent to the prosecutor.