A man is in custody following an incident Sunday evening in Success in which he allegedly threatened authorities with a gun.
Texas County Sheriff James Sigman said the incident began when the deputies responded at about 6:30 p.m. Monday to a report of a domestic dispute in the Success area. Sigman said the suspect called and asked that officers meet him at Success Baptist Church on Highway 32 west of Houston.
When officers arrived, the man brandished a gun. Sigman said the suspect was armed with both a .45-caliber pistol and an AR-15.
“He threatened the deputies,” Sigman said. “So at that point they backed off and blocked traffic until back-up arrived.
Sigman said the suspect had two children with him and had gained entry into the church by calling its pastor and asking that he unlock the door.
“I don’t know what his relationship is with the pastor or the church,” Sigman said.
After phone contact was made with the man, Sigman and detective Rowdy Douglas eventually approached the front door of the church and engaged in close-up conversation with him. The officers were right outside the door and the suspect was just inside.
“He still had a firearm at his side,” Sigman said, “but we were able to grab a hold of him and get him to the ground. Sometimes you do what you have to do.”
After a stand-off lasting more than an hour, the suspect was apprehended at about 8 p.m. The two guns were seized as evidence.
Sigman said six deputies and four Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers responded to the scene. The troopers helped block traffic on Highway 32 while deputies set up in front of the church and on a gravel road behind it.
Sigman said a probable cause statement was sent to the county prosecutor and he hoped charges would be filed against the suspect by Tuesday afternoon.
“Thank God this turned out the way it did,” Sigman said.
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EARLIER: A standoff Monday evening at Success ended safely, authorities said.
A man involved in an earlier domestic dispute holed himself up in the Success Baptist Church with children and a pastor.
Officers with the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Texas County Sheriff’s Department mobilized after the report that a man had brandished a weapon and was believed inside the church with his children and the pastor was there. Traffic was halted in the area as officers established a perimeter around the Highway 32 church.
About 7:45 p.m. the incident ended with an arrest and no injuries.