Photo courtesy of Boone County Sheriff’s Office
A suspect in a Harrison standoff last week was arrested early Friday morning. According to the Harrison Daily Times, 35-year-old Joseph Pritchett of Harrison was taken into custody by Boone County authorities at a residence outside the Harrison city limits and booked into the Boone County jail.
Harrison Police Chief Paul Woodruff says Pritchett was at his residence on the evening of Oct. 1st when his grandfather confronted him about property he thought Pritchett had stolen. An argument ensued, and the grandfather told authorities Pritchett went to a bedroom, closed the door and fired a single shotgun blast through the door. The grandfather fled the residence with Pritchett’s wife and children and called the police stating Pritchett was still in the residence.
Patrol officers responded and used a public address system in an unsuccessful attempt to make contact with Pritchett. Chief Woodruff says a perimeter was set up around the house, and the special operations team was mobilized due to gunfire and Pritchett’s past criminal record.
A phone was delivered into the residence after Pritchett’s wife told authorities he didn’t have one in the house. Attempts to contact Pritchett remained unsuccessful, and Chief Woodruff authorized the use of tear gas delivered by hand 40 minutes later. The special operations team then deployed a flash bang diversionary device and entered the residence, but no one was inside. The Harrison Police chief says witnesses reported seeing Pritchett running away from the residence carrying a long gun. A search warrant for the residence and an arrest warrant for possession of firearms by certain persons had already been issued.
A Harrison police log show a man calling the department after midnight on Friday to report Pritchett was at the residence on Payne Road off of Hickenbottom Road northeast of Harrison. Nearly an hour later, a Boone County deputy advised he was out with Pritchett and was informed of an arrest affidavit on file. Pritchett was taken into custody and to the Boone County jail. He remains incarcerated in lieu of $50,000 bond, and Chief Woodruff says other charges could be pending.
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