There were some tense moments on Wednesday evening as law enforcement officials spent several hours negotiating with a man who barricaded himself inside a Mentone area home.

That call came in as a domestic violence incident, after a female went next door and told the neighbor that she’d been assaulted by a male family member. 

After learning that the suspect was reportedly armed – the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office mobilized the Emergency Response Team, dispatching them to the location on County Road 859; the National Park Service also sent a Ranger to the scene to provide assistance until all the units being notified could arrive and move into position.

Negotiators made contact with the man inside the home and developed a dialogue with him in an effort to diffuse the situation and talk him into coming out.  In the meantime Cherokee County Chief Investigator Josh Summerford had the Sheriff’s Office bring out their armored vehicle, which had been obtained from the military at no cost, as a precautionary measure.

This is the first time the vehicle has been called into play – and it was obtained for just such an occasion, providing law enforcement with a way to deal with a dangerous situation such as this, without further endangering the lives of officers.  With these safeguards in place, negotiations with the man continued for several hours until he finally relented and gave himself up.

Denver LeeRoy Martin, age 52 was finally taken into custody and booked in at the Cherokee County Detention Center shortly after 11:00pm charged with Making Terrorist Threats and Domestic Violence 3rd Degree/Assault 3rd Degree.

He currently remains in the Detention Center where he is being held without bond.

It remains unclear what led to his actions.