Armed mother surrenders peacefully after holding two children hostage

<br>WATSON, Ark. (AP) _ A woman who barricaded herself into her home with several weapons surrendered peacefully late Monday night after first threatening to kill her two young children and anyone who

Tuesday, February 19th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

WATSON, Ark. (AP) _ A woman who barricaded herself into her home with several weapons surrendered peacefully late Monday night after first threatening to kill her two young children and anyone who tried to enter, state police said.

Cpl. Kim Fontaine, spokeswoman for the state police, identified the woman in the house at Watson, on Arkansas 1 east of Dumas about 85 miles southeast of Little Rock, as Candy Hawkins.

Fontaine said Hawkins had her two children, ages 7 and 11 _ believed both to be boys _ in the house with her.

Fontaine said the standoff began shortly after 5:30 p.m., but she said she didn't know what had sparked the situation. A state police negotiator went to the scene Monday night to try to end the standoff peacefully, Fontaine said.

Shortly before midnight, Fontaine said, the woman surrendered to a Desha County sheriff's deputy whom she knew.

No shots were fired and the children suffered no injury, Fontaine said a few minutes after midnight.

The woman was taken to the Desha County Jail at Arkansas City, Fontaine said.

Before the situation ended without violence, Fontaine said, the woman ``made all types of threats. She's threatened the lives of the children as well as anyone who tries to come in.''

Fontaine said the house contained several guns belonging to the woman's husband, and the woman was armed with one or more of those weapons. The husband and the woman's mother were outside the house, Fontaine said, helping police negotiate with Hawkins by telephone.

The Desha County sheriff's office called for state police assistance soon after the standoff began, Fontaine said, and troopers assigned to a unit based at Pine Bluff went to the scene along with the hostage negotiator.