Pike County Sheriff Deputies helped save a woman and her three small children from an armed gunman Tuesday night who was reportedly holding them against their will.
Sheriff Charles Reader says a concerned citizen called 9-1-1 at 9:42pm Tuesday night saying that her friend and her friend’s small children were being held against their will by the gunman who had fired numerous shots into the air.
“The 9-1-1 caller reported that the suspect had shot several rounds into the air and was refusing to let the woman and her three young children leave,” said Sheriff Reader.
Corporal Beau Romine, Sergeant Adrian Cottrell, and Deputy Marc Thompson responded to the scene, quickly blocking-off the immediate area within minutes of the call, and arrested 27-year-old Benjamin Hawk of Jackson, Ohio.
Reader said that himself, Chief Deputy Bob Barbee, Lieutenant Brock Clemmons, and Corporal Robyn Cottrill also responded.
The man reportedly said that he “would not go” unless it was “in a bodybag or handcuffs,” Reader said, but thankfully, the situation was quickly de-escalated. “It was apparent he had been drinking a lot of alcohol. He had a gun on him that we were able to get away from him without incident.”
Reader said that he and his deputies’ crisis intervention training led to the situation getting under control within seconds of arriving on scene. “Myself and our deputies undergo rigorous training in the academy and many of us continue to learn crisis intervention techniques to quickly de-escalate situations like this in our annual continuing education requirements.”
Collected from the scene were two bottles of Jim Beam and the gun that Hawk had when deputies arrived. Pike County Squad One responded to the scene and checked out the woman and her three young children, the eldest of whom was only 2-years-old.
Hawk was taken to Adena Medical Center in Chillicothe. Reader said numerous felony and misdemeanor charges will be filed against the man.