Etowah County authorities say they are looking for an armed man after a standoff of about two and a half hours on Monday.

Etowah County Sheriff spokeswoman Natalie Barton said Timothy Brandon Brady, 28, is considered armed and dangerous. He was the focus of what authorities believed was a barricade situation on Ford Valley Road outside Hokes Bluff this morning.

Barton said the sequence of events happened this way:

Dispatchers received a 911 call about 9:06 a.m. reporting a domestic violence and assault in the 1000 block of Ford Valley Road. A relative of Lindsey Breeden Berry, 27, said Brady was assaulting Berry inside the residence. Deputies arrived and sealed off the area around the home. Believing a hostage situation was ongoing, the county’s tactical team, the Joint Special Operations Group, was activated along with its tactical vehicle.

Authorities waited until about 12:15 p.m. before establishing that no one was inside the home. Barton said authorities then made contact with Berry. She was later located on a dirt road in Calhoun County near New Liberty Road about two miles from the residence. Berry was taken into custody and faces charges, Barton said. It was unclear if she had been assaulted, and had been walking for about an hour when she was found.

As for Brady, he is believed to have left the residence at the same time as Berry. Barton said authorities say he is probably armed. He has been arrested several times in Etowah County for domestic violence, marijuana possession and burglary. Anyone who sees him is asked to call the Etowah County Sheriff’s Office.

Also assisting in the operation were Hokes Bluff police, Gadsden police and the Ball Play Volunteer Fire Department No. 1.