Man who held woman hostage inside apartment on Wynnton Road in Columbus identified
A 48-year-old Columbus man is now behind bars after holding a female, that he was in a relationship with, hostage.
The man, identified as Jeffrey Watkins, and the unidentified female had a domestic argument that was called in by a third party around 11:30PM. When officers arrived, the situation led to Watkins imprisoning the woman inside the apartment. The son, identified himself as Brandon but didn’t announce his last name, told News 2, “It clicked to me when officers were working that I have access to security cameras inside the apartment that he recently put in.” Officers were able to gain access to the video feed and see what exactly is going on inside. “All I saw was a man pointing a gun at my momma,” he said. 12 hours later the female was released and transported to a nearby hospital with no physical injuries. 4 hours later, the suspect came out and was placed into police custody.
Watkins is being charged with receipt, possession, or transfer of a firearm during the commission of a crime and false imprisonment (family violence).
Police Chief Freddie Blackmon, Assistant Police Chief Debra Kennedy, along with the Patrol Officers, Crisis Negotiators, SWAT team, Special Ops, and other units were on scene, with an EMS Care ambulance as well.
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