Standoff ends peacefully
By Lee Williams
Published in News on February 22, 2007 1:51 PM
SEVEN SPRINGS -- A standoff with law enforcement and a wanted man ended peacefully Wednesday when a relative intervened and led them to the suspect who was hiding in a closet.
Wayne County sheriff's deputies and state troopers descended on 541 Billy Price Road to serve an arrest warrant to Shelton Douglas Southerland Jr. at about 2:30 p.m., but the suspect became defiant.
"The Highway Patrol had a bunch of warrants," Wayne County Sheriff's Maj. Billy Anderson said. "Our deputies and the Highway Patrol went out there and he wouldn't come out."
Southerland allegedly threatened to kill himself and barricaded himself inside of the house. The drama was heightened since authorities thought the 29-year-old had a gun, officials said. That's when the standoff began. It ended after about half an hour when Southerland's father intervened.
"His daddy went in with the deputies and Highway Patrol who found him hiding in a closet," Anderson said. "He was taken in without further incident."
An investigation revealed there was no gun inside the house, Anderson said the father said.
It's unclear what Southerland was being sought for Wednesday as the trooper who worked the case was unavailable for comment.
Earlier this month, Southerland was arrested after he allegedly stole fire trucks out of the Pricetown Volunteer Fire Department, but left them parked outside. He allegedly stole tools from one of the fire trucks and damaged another one.
Southerland was a former member of the fire department, sheriff's officials said.