Deputies used the county’s armored vehicle and tear gas to end a standoff on Beaverdam Road with no injuries early Monday.
Brandon Nobles, 33, of 3810 Old Cribbtown Rd., Chadbourn, was charged with possession with intent to manufacture, sell and deliver crystal methamphetamine and MDMA, drug paraphernalia, possession of a firearm by a felon, resisting an officer, and discharging a firearm at law enforcement. His bond was set at $207,000 secured.
Deputies were called to a domestic dispute in the 3500 block of Beaverdam Road just before midnight, according to a release from the sheriff’s office. Two adult females and two children were nearby and told deputies that Nobles was hiding in a camper, and threatening to shoot anyone who came near him. The deputies asked the witnesses to evacuate the scene, the report said.
When they approached the camper, the report said, deputies came under fire and withdrew.
The Highway Patrol responded to assist the deputies while the Special Operations Team, hostage negotiator, and command staff with Sheriff Jody Greene secured the area. The Special Operations Team also brought the county’s armored MRAP, a military vehicle the county obtained at no cost through a government program.
“The special operations armored vehicle was deployed to house and protect personnel and the negotiator,” Greene said in a press release. “Several more shots were fired by Nobles from the residence. Deputies heard the rounds striking near their location.”
The special operations team used the MRAP to approach the camper, getting deputies close enough to deploy tear gas. They then breached the camper, and found Nobles hiding in a bathroom with a 9mm carbine, the report said. He was taken into custody and transported to Columbus Regional for exposure to gas, then placed in the county detention center.
While deputies were inside the residence, they spotted drug paraphernalia and what appeared to be narcotics in plain view. Vice-Narcotics investigators obtained a search warrant and found meth, MDMA and digital scales in the camper.
No injuries were reported in the incident, according to the report.
“I would like to thank the North Carolina Highway Patrol, Tabor City Rescue, Roseland Fire Department, and Columbus County 911 Telecommunicators/ Dispatchers for their assistance,” Green said in a press release. “This could have been a deadly situation. Fortunately, it ended the best way possible, everyone going home safe.”
