7-hour standoff lands man in jail

Published 12:03 am Friday, December 7, 2012

A nearly seven-hour standoff just over the Alabama-Florida line ended with the arrest of a Lockhart man Thursday.

Michael “Red” Thames apparently barricaded himself inside a Ludlam Road home just before 11 a.m. after Okaloosa County, Fla., Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a report of a possible burglary in progress at the residence. Law enforcement officers said Thames sometimes shared the home with his girlfriend.

Instead of a suspected burglar, deputies found Thames, who was wanted on charges stemming from a burglary and theft at a home on Old Ebenezer Road in November, said Michele Nicholson, OCSO public information officer.

Nicholson said investigators were able to make phone contact with Thames, and eventually persuaded him to come out without incident around 4:30 p.m.

Arrest records show that Thames was wanted for three separate thefts from a Laurel Hill, Fla., home. First taken was a generator; a skill saw, miter saw and lawn mower from another Laurel Hill home. Then, the homeowner installed a “game camera.” As a result, Thames was identified when he allegedly returned to take a plasma cutter, a welder and an air compressor on Nov. 13.

From information gained through the Covington County Sheriff’s Office and a local tire shop, the OCSO was able to confirm Thames’ vehicle was used in the burglaries.

Michael "Red" Thames

Thames allegedly traded the stolen property for drugs, specifically crack cocaine.

He is currently being held in the Okaloosa County Jail on the felony charges.