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Man arrested after hours-long standoff in Menard County

Authorities arrested a Petersburg man after a standoff Saturday. Photo: Shutterstock


Petersburg, IL (WAND) – A Petersburg man was arrested after a nearly four hour standoff with police in Menard County Saturday.

According to the Menard County Sheriff’s Office, police attempted to serve an arrest warrant just before 12:30 p.m. for 31-year-old Justin M. Thornley at a home in the 20000 block of Gudgel Bridge Avenue.

The warrant charged Thornley with two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of violation of a stalking no contact order, and two counts of reckless conduct. The sheriff’s office said the charges came after an investigation into “numerous incidents” over the past several days.

While trying to arrest Thornley, police said he refused to cooperate, locking himself inside his home.

Gudgel Bridge Avenue was closed at Boy Scout Trail and Price Street after police set up a perimeter.

After “extensive efforts” to communicate with Thornley, the sheriff’s office said he still refused to cooperate. Around 4 p.m., officers forced entry into the home and used a drone to find Thornley. He was found and arrested.

According to police, Thornley was taken to a local hospital for evaluation before being transferred to jail.

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