The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog
When an allegedly intoxicated father reportedly challenged and lost several arm-wrestling matches with his juvenile son, the man allegedly became angered and fired bullets into the ceiling of the home before holding the police in a stand-off for more than 7-hours.
A short time after midnight on July 6, 55-year-old Curtis Zimmerman was at his Florence, Kentucky home with his wife and 16-year-old son.
He was reportedly intoxicated, and Zimmerman allegedly made his son arm-wrestle with him many times, but the man did not win any of the matches.
When he lost the final match, Zimmerman and his son reportedly got into a screaming bout, during which his father allegedly told the teen he would shoot him if he did not go upstairs and go to sleep.
As the alleged victim ascended the staircase he told the police that he heard a sound causing him to believe his father had a gun in his hand and was preparing to shoot it.
The teenager reported that he heard the gun go off and believed his dad had shot his mom, so he concealed himself in his bedroom closet with a baseball bat.
Though her son thought she was in danger, Zimmerman’s wife was able to leave their house and call the police for help.
The alleged victim reported that his dad came upstairs and into his room while still holding the gun, and the teen swung the bat at his father, starting a struggle that continued for approximately 15-minutes and reportedly involved his father aiming the gun towards his head.
After the teenager was able to get out of the home without injury, the police tried to hail Zimmerman to exit the home as well.
Zimmerman reportedly spent the next 7.5 hours refusing to comply with the demands, with SWAT teams and the local police formed in a perimeter around the residence.
Around 8:30 am, Boone County’s Office Hostage Negotiation Team coaxed Zimmerman to leave the home.
After Zimmerman was detained he was transported to St. Elizabeth Florence Hospital to allow medical staff to check him over. He was not deemed stable enough for clearance to leave the hospital right away.
The authorities reported that after his release from the medical facility Zimmerman was booked into the Boone County Detention Center for suspicion of felony first-degree wanton endangerment, unlawful imprisonment, attempted assault, and domestic violence.
Zimmerman is being held on a $105,000 bond.
If you or someone you love is suspected of a domestic violence offense, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.