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BENW00D – Benwood Volunteer Fire Department Chief Garson Taylor, originally arrested Monday on three misdemeanor charges following an alleged domestic battery situation and police standoff, will now face a trio of felony charges.
Taylor will now face felony charges of strangulation, wanton endangerment and the use of body armor while committing a felony, according to Marshall County Prosecutor Joe Canestraro.
Taylor has not yet been served with those charges, Canestraro said, but will soon. Those new charges are on top of the original misdemeanor charges of domestic battery, fleeing in a vehicle and obstruction of an officer.
According to Benwood Police Chief Frank Longwell earlier this week, Benwood Police officers were investigating a Monday evening incident where Taylor's wife was allegedly found with a bloody face and choke marks around her neck.
During the investigation, Taylor allegedly drove past the scene and refused to stop when police ordered him to do so.
Longwell said Taylor then drove for a "few laps" around the city with Benwood officers in pursuit. Police blocked him in and then went through an hour-long standoff, where Taylor pointed a gun to his head. Longwell said an officer was able to open Taylor's truck door and pull him out without injury.
Longwell said officers found "several AR rifles and about 800 rounds of ammunition" after searching Taylor's truck. Taylor also was wearing bulletproof body armor. He was taken to Northern Regional Jail.
Both a mental hygiene order and domestic battery protection order were filed against Taylor following his arrest, Longwell said. The mental hygiene order requires him to be taken to a mental health facility for evaluation. The protection order forbids him to have contact with his wife or have access to any weapons.
Longwell said Friday that Taylor had been moved from Northern Regional Jail to a psychiatric facility.