Washington County Father & Son Held At Gunpoint, Tied Up, Robbed

By Craig Day, The News On 6

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- A man with an 18-year criminal history out of Kansas is accused of forcing his way into a Green Country home with a gun.

The victims are a man and his teenage son. They're lucky they weren't hurt after being held at gunpoint, tied up and robbed in their own home.

It happened in a rural area near Copan in Washington County.

Investigators say early Monday morning, James Reed was waiting in the garage of the home.

"Apparently he had been in the garage for some time because there were several cigarette butts that were lying on the floor, so he had been in there for a while smoking cigarettes," said Sheriff Rick Silver, Washington County.

The home's owner says when he went to the garage, a gunman pointed a rifle at him and forced him back inside. The victim and his teenage son were tied up and robbed. They eventually freed themselves and called for help.

Investigators say from there, Reed drove away in the victims’ car. It was found a couple of hours later, abandoned in a barn in Washington County. Authorities in Kansas were notified he could be headed their way.

"Indications from talking to the victim, the suspect had made comments about who he was and where he was from and things like that," said Sheriff Rick Silver.

That led law enforcement officers to Reed's home in Thayer, Kansas in the Southeastern part of the state. Reed ran into a barn prompting an 8-hour standoff.

"He put them into quite a precarious situation for several hours last night. He was making threats to them as well and it was a pretty good standoff for several hours," said Sheriff Rick Silver.

Reed was eventually arrested. He has a criminal history dating back to 1991. Most recently, he served six years for attempted murder on a sheriff's deputy before being released four months ago. 

Investigators in Oklahoma aren't sure why he was in Washington County.

"It was obviously a random, a random deal. This guy we don't believe had any, was not familiar with them or the area that we know of," said Sheriff Rick Silver.

Reed will likely face several charges, including robbery and kidnapping. He's being held in Kansas on half a million dollars bond.