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Suicidal man surrenders after two-hour standoff
by St. Joseph News-Press
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers gather in a parking lot on U.S. Highway 136 down the road from a standoff with a man who threatened to kill himself Wednesday afternoon.

Photo by Eric Keith / St. Joseph News-Press / Purchase this photo

Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers gather in a parking lot on U.S. Highway 136 down the road from a standoff with a man who threatened to kill himself Wednesday afternoon.

MARYVILLE, Mo. — A two-hour standoff ended peacefully Wednesday afternoon when a man boarded up in his home surrendered.

Thanks to the efforts of Maryville Public Safety Sgt. Aaron Jones, a telephone connection got the man talking and he eventually surrendered, said Darren White, Nodaway County sheriff. Mr. Jones should receive a citation for his efforts, Mr. White said.

The incident started at 1:32 p.m., when the man called his girlfriend and threatened suicide, said Sgt. Sheldon Lyon, a Missouri State Highway Patrol spokesman. He was believed to be armed, and threats were made against law enforcement officers that had to be taken seriously, Mr. Lyon said.

“In a nutshell, he barricaded himself in the home on U.S. Highway 136, east of Maryville,” Mr. White said.

Maryville Public Safety and Northwest Missouri State University campus safety officers joined the Highway Patrol and deputies in establishing a perimeter around the home. The man was known to law enforcement officers because of prior incidents, and Mr. Jones established a good relationship with him using a telephone, the sheriff said. Two hours after it started, the man surrendered. He was taken to St. Francis Hospital in Maryville for evaluation.

Law enforcement officers will meet with the Nodaway County prosecutor’s office so a decision can be made about any need to file charges, the sheriff said.

The Highway Patrol’s SWAT team in Lee’s Summit, Mo., was activated and an armored vehicle arrived on the scene, but it wasn’t used, Mr. Lyon said.