A Mercer County man is behind bars Saturday night after firing shots in his home and holding deputies at bay for hours.
Mercer County deputies say they received a call just after 6:30a.m. Saturday morning someone shot a gun at 310 North Franklin Street. Deputies say it was 58 year-old Thurman Whitted.
Deputies and Rockford police came to the home and say they learned Whitted and his girlfriend had some sort of domestic dispute. After that dispute Whitted walked into the bedroom of his home alone and fired one round from a handgun.
Whitted’s girlfriend and her adult daughter then ran from the house and called the sheriff’s office.
Knowing Whitted had a handgun and a rifle in the home, deputies surrounded the house and called the Auglaize County S.W.A.T. team after Whitted didn’t respond when deputies tried to communicate with him.
Just after 11a.m., it was a family member that was able to talk with 58-year-old Thurman Whitted over the phone and convince him to come out of the home ending the nearly 5-hour standoff. But the sheriff’s office said Whitted refused to keep his hands up and in view while walking out. Deputies were forced to take him to the ground to arrest him when he reached for his pockets.
Deputies obtained a search warrant for Whitted’s home to search for firearms and other evidence. The sheriff’s office says formal charges will be filed against Whitted once the Mercer County Prosecutor’s office reviews the case.