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Armed Stanton Woman Climbs Cell Phone Tower, Leads To 5 Hour Negotiation
Armed Stanton Woman Climbs Cell Phone Tower, Leads To 5 Hour Negotiation 10/14/12
fbolton@cbs7.com
CBS 7 News Reporter
October 14, 2012
STANTON, TX - Martin County deputies responded instantly to a report of a woman threatening to take her life on a cell phone tower off of Interstate 20 in Stanton.
They stated that the woman was in possession of a handgun. Martin County Sheriff John Woodward said this was not the first time she's climbed the tower and threatened to harm herself.
"We had an incident with an individual climbing a tower, apparently a suicidal subject we have dealt with previously " said Martin County Sheriff John Woodward.
At approximately 5:00 pm TXDOT closed off business Interstate 20 through Stanton, from Interstate 20 East to State Highway 137. The Martin County Sheriff’s Department stated that the negotiation process was difficult.
"This time we had some difficulties with communication ... [she] didn't have a phone. We spent quite a bit of time trying to resolve it without anyone getting hurt," said Woodward.
Woodward stated that they almost had to climb the tower to get the woman down. But after 5 hours of negotiations via a bullhorn system, the woman finally came down on her own. Deputies stated that no one was injured.
The Martin County Sheriff’s Department has the woman in custody for a medical examination. They stated that they will not release her name due to the circumstances of the situation.