13-hour standoff ends with man and hostage in custody, deputies say

LINCOLN COUNTY, N.C. — A standoff that began before 11 a.m. Tuesday ended with an arrest just after midnight early Wednesday morning, Lincoln County deputies said.

The Lincoln County sheriff told Channel 9′s Ken Lemon on Tuesday that deputies went to a home on Woodland Hill Trail to serve someone a warrant.

Patrick Andrew Shomo, 40, was arrested and charged with kidnapping, discharging a firearm into occupied property and possession of a firearm by a felon. He also was wanted on trafficking charges out of Gaston County.

Yesterday, Lemon was told the man, later identified Shomo, of Gaston County, was in the home with two women. Shomo told deputies he was armed and threatened to kill the women. Lemon also learned that probation officers from Gaston County came to the home to try talking to the women inside.

The probation officers saw Shomo, who does not live at the home, run out of the back door. The officers recognized him because he was wanted by Gaston County police on three counts of trafficking methamphetamine.

When the officers called out to Shomo, he ran back inside saying he wasn’t going to prison, deputies told Channel 9.

Several law enforcement officers arrived to cordon off the area and nearby residents were evacuated from the neighborhood. Many found family members or friends to stay with as the situation continued into the night.

Deputies said shortly after midnight Wednesday morning, they exploded flash-bang grenades and the SWAT team breached the door of the home, taking Shomo into custody.

The two women were freed from the home, deputies said, and no one was hurt in the incident.

One of the women, Chelsey Ann Avery, 31, of Iron Station, was wanted on probation violation charges. She was placed in the Gaston County Jail without bond. The other hostage was interviewed and released.

Shomo was being held under $675,000 secured bond and a no-bond hold for Gaston County.

While the more than 13-hour was still ongoing, the sheriff told Lemon there were guns in the home and Shomo was acting erratically and was easily irritated. The Gaston County Special Response Team and Lincoln County’s Special Weapons Response Team were negotiated with him over the phone. Authorities also used drones to get a bird’s-eye view of the situation.

The U.S. Marshals Special Response Team also responded because Shomo had federal probationary warrants. The team had special equipment to help deputies on the ground.

The Red Cross was also helping first responders at a nearby church.

“I’ve never been through anything like this before,” neighbor Roberta Bell said earlier in the day.

Bell lives across the street, on the other side of the line police set up. Her son was supposed to arrive home from school at the bus stop there, but buses were rerouted because of the situation. Investigators said Bell was safe but she was still concerned.

“What’s going on?” she said. “Do I have to get out of here?”

She was worried about the women trapped inside the barricaded home.

“I know they are terrified,” Bell told Channel 9. “I have never been in a situation like that, but I can imagine.”

Editor’s Note: Earlier reports indicated the home was on Triple H Lane but it was later confirmed to be on Woodland Hill Trail.

Check back on wsoctv.com for updates.

(WATCH BELOW: Lincoln County fire captain leaves legacy after losing battle with COVID, firefighters say)

Lincoln County fire captain leaves legacy after losing battle with COVID, firefighters say

©2022 Cox Media Group