CASTLE ROCK &,dash; Police said they have a man in custody who was the subject of a day-long search after holding his family hostage.
Castle Rock Police say Steven Littlejohn, 43, called his home at about 3 p.m. today and a police negotiator answered the phone.
Investigators then tracked Littlejohn’s cell phone and knew he was in an area close by, said Karen McGrath, a police spokeswoman. The negotiator talked Littlejohn into coming back to his home where he was taken into custody at about 4:45 p.m., McGrath said.
Littlejohn was armed with a 9mm handgun when he was arrested, McGrath said.
Police and SWAT team members had been searching for the domestic violence suspect after he held his wife at gunpoint for three hours, police said.
Castle Rock Police Chief Tony Lane said police were called to the home in southeast Castle Rock around 3:30 a.m., but Littlejohn,who lived there, had already fled.
Littlejohn’s wife ran to a neighbor’s home after he had left their house, McGrath said.
Authorities searched in a “rugged area” southeast of Castle Rock near Douglas County while some neighbors were alerted via reverse-911 calls.
Lane said they were called to the home last December for a “domestic situation,” but Littlejohn was not arrested at that time.
“He has no prior criminal history,” Lane said. “This is not a community issue; it’s a domestic relation issue,” Lane said.
Littlejohn’s wife and two children, a boy and a girl were taken to a safe place, police said.
Littlejohn is an Iraq war veteran, McGrath said, and he stuck to the trees and brush while police were looking for him. The handgun was not fired while Littlejohn was at large, McGrath said.
He was being held tonight on suspicion of domestic violence, felony menacing, false imprisonment, and harassment among other possible charges.
