MARSHALL COUNTY, Miss. — A man is in custody and a toddler safe after an overnight barricade situation that lasted for hours at a home on Highway 309 in Byhalia, Mississippi.
According to the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office, a mother, father and toddler were inside a home. Deputies said they were called to a domestic situation with an armed suspect around 11:30 Sunday night.
The mother was able to get away to call for help, but the child was still inside the house.
“All we’re assuming is he is armed with possibly two handguns,” said Kelly McMillen, with Marshall County Sheriff’s Department. “We have the mother, she was able to escape, but the daddy, he has the child.”
However, the sheriff’s office said around 1:30 p.m. Monday that the child was released unharmed. The man was taken into custody after tear gas was thrown into the house.
The suspect was identified as Casey Henson, 36. So far, Henson is charged with domestic violence/aggravated assault and felon in possession of a firearm.
The SWAT team, the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office, and negotiators were all on the scene working to resolve the issue.
When WREG crews asked if the child was considered a hostage, McMillen stated, “He could be, yes.”
Jonathan Strausser, a disabled veteran who lives just beyond the roadblock, says that he is preparing for the birth of his own child.
“He’s being very selfish and he needs to let his child go and surrender himself. I just can’t imagine the mother of the child – as she was able to escape from the situation, what she’s dealing with, and how she’s dealing with it right now.”