Local News

Armed Man Barricaded Himself in Smithville Cafe

By  | 
Tony Maples Photography

 

On Wednesday, October 12th police arrested a man who locked himself into the Comfort Cafe in downtown Smithville, Texas. KVUE reports that police responded to the incident around 8:30 in the morning, and were extremely cautious since the man warned that he was going to hurt himself.

According to authorities, the man, Robert Wayne Stevenson, had gotten into an argument with his ex-wife and then spiraled downward into an extremely upset state. Since Smithville is a small town, word spread quickly and the downtown area shut down for DPS SWAT teams to take over.

After an hour of talking, Stevenson walked out of the cafe and into custody for “burglary of a habitation…further charges pending after a complete investigation,” said Chief of Police Michael Maugere. He added, “We are grateful it came to a peaceful conclusion and that Mr. Stevenson can get the assistance that he needs.”

The cafe updated their Facebook page while the event was taking place. They posted, “We need your prayers right now – an outside man not a resident has taken the women’s dorm and locked himself inside with guns. All residents are out and safe. This man is unstable and the police are trying to talk him out. Will keep you updated.”

No one was hurt during the incident.