Lazaro Aleman
ECB Publishing, Inc.
What started as a family argument on the weekend eventually escalated into a tense confrontation involving local law enforcement and the Leon County Sheriff’s Office SWAT, after the man threatened his relatives and isolated himself inside the house.
According to the arrest report from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO), the incident occurred about 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Mar. 12, at a residence on Tennessee Street in Monticello.
Officers from the Monticello Police Department (MPD) and JCSO responded to an ongoing disturbance involving a man who allegedly was threatening to kill himself and his father and sister.
When deputies arrived on the scene, MPD officers were already there and the two other family members had existed the house. The man, however, was still inside and refusing to come out. What’s more, the officers learned that there were multiple weapons in the house, including a shotgun and a handgun.
The officers set a parameter around the house and tried to talk the man into coming out unarmed. The man, however, refused, saying he didn’t want to return to prison.
When these negotiating efforts failed, local law enforcement reached out to the Leon County SWAT, which was ultimately able to enter the house and apprehend the man without injury to anyone. The report notes that plainly visible in the bedroom where the man was arrested were a couple of used needles and at least three glass pipes, paraphernalia typically associated with narcotics use.
Wade Pepper, 46, was charged with several felony counts, including possession of a deadly weapon without intent to kill, possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, and touching or striking. He was still in custody as of Wednesday.
According to the arrest report, the incident began when Wade asked to use his father’s vehicle and the latter refused. Wade became enraged and threw a 55-inch flat screen television on the floor and an Apple computer through a glass sliding door, breaking both the glass door and the computer.
He next threatened to kill his father and sister, according to the father’s testimony, as reported on the arrest report. At which point the father retrieved a 9MM from his bedroom in an attempt to defend himself and his daughter.
Wade, however, slapped the gun out of the father’s hand, then picked it up and threatened again to hurt the two, according to the father’s testimony.
When the father then again refused to hand over the keys to the vehicle, Wade went outside, threatening to damage the car. Afterwards, when he tried to reenter the house and the father blocked the way, Wade shoved the father to the floor, causing bruises. Officers estimated the value of the items destroyed was about $2,800.
Sheriff Mac McNeill expressed appreciation to Leon County Sheriff Walter McNeill and the SWAT team for their assistance in the incident.
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