Wyoming County man accused of kidnapping wife, threatening to kill her and himself
Oceana man accused of kidnapping wife, threatening to kill her
Robert Fields | WVOW News
OCEANA A Wyoming County man is facing several charges after deputies investigated a reported domestic violence incident in the Oceana area.
The Wyoming County Sheriff's Office says Sergeant Tyler Sizemore responded to a home around 7 a.m. September 22 after receiving a report of a domestic incident.
According to the Sheriff's Office, investigators determined that 47-year-old Jerry Allen Browning had allegedly gone to a home where his wife, Heather Browning, was staying, kicked in the door and forced her from the residence.
Deputies searched the surrounding area and eventually located Browning and his wife at an abandoned home in the Turkey Creek area.
The Sheriff's Office says Browning was holding a handgun to his head while his wife was beside him when deputies first made contact.
Sizemore began negotiating with Browning in an effort to safely separate the couple and end the situation without further violence. Additional deputies, West Virginia State Police troopers and officers from the Oceana Police Department responded to assist.
The Sheriff's Office says officers were eventually able to separate Heather Browning from the situation and end the incident safely.
During the investigation, Heather Browning told deputies that Jerry Browning had threatened to kill her and himself and had fired the gun, with live rounds discharged near her.
Browning was charged with burglary, kidnapping, wanton endangerment and domestic battery. He’s being held at Southern Regional Jail on a $105,000 cash-only bond.
PHOTO | MGN, West Virginia Division of Corrections & Rehabilitation
