Hours-Long Standoff Resolved Peacefully in Valley Grove

VALLEY GROVE -- An apparent domestic dispute led to a police standoff Thursday afternoon, when a man barricaded himself inside his home following officers' arrival.

The small neighborhood of Submarine Road was central to the standoff, which stopped traffic between about 12:30 p.m. and 2:45 p.m. Ohio County sheriff's deputies were joined by West Virginia State Police and Triadelphia police in handling the situation.

Around 2:20 p.m., a loud "bang" was heard. A short time later, police radios announced: "All secure."

The man who had barricaded himself in his basement was wearing a blue shirt as he was escorted by several officers to a squad car that took him away from the scene.

Ohio County Chief Deputy John Schultz declined to immediately identify the man, citing the fact that Sheriff Tom Howard was out of town at a conference. He added that details immediately following the standoff were sparse. However, he said that officers who had responded to a domestic disturbance at the residence felt they were under attack.

"We had a physical domestic call. Once units were on scene, they were talking to the female half when they heard what they thought was a gunshot go off," Schultz said. "The male half would not come out of the residence. … We negotiated for about two hours, and that went nowhere.

"We finally made the decision that we had to make entry to resolve the situation that was going on, and we took him into custody without any problems."

No one was injured, and the man was taken to be checked out by medical professionals while detectives examined the scene.

Schultz said he wished to respect the privacy of the other person involved in the domestic dispute and did not identify the home where the incident occurred.

He added that a more complete statement about the standoff would be issued when Howard returned.