Stand-off Ends Peacefully in Clinton County

The Clinton County Sheriff’s Office and other local agencies de-escalated a potentially deadly situation involving a man who barricaded himself in a residence in Lake Arrowhead on Saturday.

Photo courtesy Clinton County Sheriff's Office Facebook Page

The stand-off took place after a female, who had escaped from being held against her will on SE Apache Drive, reported the incident to law enforcement. She told officers that she was severely assaulted and tortured for two days while being held.

Around 9:30 am on Saturday morning, Clinton County Deputies and Missouri State Troopers attempted to make contact with the occupants of the residence, but were unable to get inside. After negotiations began, Tri-County SWAT team was activated and deployed when one resident came out and reported that another individual was inside and he was armed and suicidal.

After 5 hours, K9 Merlin and the SWAT team located James Larson Jr of Lathrop to be hiding in a false wall. He was taken into custody without further incident, and he is currently being held on an unrelated no-bond probation warrant.

The victim was transported by Holt Fire and EMS to an area hospital where she is in guarded critical condition. Charges will be filed with the Clinton County Prosecutors Office once the investigation is completed.

The Clinton County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by Holt Fire and EMS, Tri-County SWAT, the Lathrop and Plattsburg Police Departments, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

KPGZ News - Brian Watts contributed to this story