Tear gas was used to finally subdue a kidnapping suspect after a nearly 24-hour standoff at a home in The Villages.
A hazardous cleanup team from Marion County Fire Rescue and a crime scene technician from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office were sifting through the debris following the surrender of 54-year-old James Savage at a home on Belhaven Loop in the Village of Chatham.
Neighbors, who watched the standoff which began Friday morning and finally ended at about 10:30 a.m. Saturday with Savage’s surrender, said that a large amount of tear gas was used by the SWAT team and the lingering odor was “strong.”
An armored vehicle had been used to punch holes in the front door, garage and some windows. The tactical forklift was used to rip out the garage door, after it had been penetrated by the armored vehicle.
The forensic unit van showed up Saturday afternoon and a technician appeared to remove evidence. The fire rescue special operations unit, tasked with handling hazardous material, arrived a short time later. The crew members donned protective gear when they entered the heavily damaged home.
Savage was hardly a stranger in the Belhaven Loop neighborhood. He was arrested last year after alarming behavior apparently fueled by jealousy, aimed at a woman who lived on the street. He sent her more than 200 text messages, many of them of a threatening nature. He also screamed into her Ring doorbell camera on a number of occasions, leaving plenty of evidence of his scary behavior. The prosecutor’s office opted not to move forward with the case after the victim became uncooperative.
It’s not clear if it is the same woman who was kidnapped Thursday in the Village of Monarch Grove, prompting a bulletin from the Wildwood Police Department. That woman was later found safe.
Savage is facing numerous charges in Marion County, including aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, possession of a weapon or ammunition by a convicted felon, resisting arrest and criminal damage to property. He was being held without bond at the Marion County Jail. Other charges are likely in Sumter County