A Lowndes County man is in custody after discharging a weapon and barricading himself for more than an hour inside his New Hope residence Tuesday afternoon.
Robert Clark was arrested for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, two misdemeanors.
A 911 call regarding a disturbance with a weapon led Lowndes County deputies to Clark’s residence in the Christopher Hills subdivision just after 4 p.m. Tuesday.
According to Chief Deputy Marc Miley, when deputies arrived at the home at 179 Kimberly Drive, they discovered Clark barricaded inside with a weapon. Miley said the Special Response Team surrounded the house while law enforcement attempted to make contact with Clark for more than an hour and a half. Witnesses on scene said Clark, who did not respond to law enforcement, could be seen pacing in front of the windows inside the home. He appeared armed.
In the middle of the standoff, members of the Facebook watch page were posting to the online group about the commotion. The suspect’s wife replied on the page that her husband had attempted to commit suicide. The comment has since been deleted.
Miley said the power to the home was turned off and the SRT team shot oxygen into the home in an attempt to disorient Clark. He was transported to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle for a mental evaluation. He was then taken into custody and transported to the Lowndes County Adult Detention Center.
As of 9 a.m. Wednesday morning, Clark had not been officially charged.
Sarah Fowler covered crime, education and community related events for The Dispatch.
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