A Kelso man was arrested early Monday after deputies say he held his wife against her will for about four hours, threatened her with a handgun and expressed suicidal intentions before surrendering to a SWAT team.
Deputies responded shortly after 1 a.m. Monday to the 1500 block of West Side Highway after 911 received a call from 58-year-old James Wood asking law enforcement to remove his wife from the property, according to the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office.
During the call, Wood mentioned suicide, and deputies were already aware of information indicating he had expressed an intent to force law enforcement officers to shoot him, according to the sheriff’s office. Deputies were able to contact Wood by phone.
About 45 minutes later, Wood’s wife called 911 and reported that he was armed and had been holding her against her will, police said. She escaped to a neighboring residence, where deputies met her and moved her to safety.
Deputies learned Wood allegedly pointed a pistol at the woman, threatened to kill her and prevented her from leaving the trailer for about four hours, according to the sheriff’s office.
Investigators also reported that he assaulted her, leaving visible bruises. The woman told deputies Wood was inside the trailer armed with two pistols.
The Lower Columbia SWAT Team was activated, and deputies obtained a search warrant for the residence. Wood surrendered without incident and was taken into custody.
During the search, deputies recovered two pistols and other evidence from the trailer, according to investigators.
Wood was booked into the Cowlitz County Jail on suspicion of assault-domestic violence, unlawful imprisonment-domestic violence, and interfering with the reporting of domestic violence.
