As everyone who has ever been in a domestic dispute that lead to police intervention and criminal charges knows, these matters are taken seriously by police, prosecutors and judges. And defendants should certainly take the charges seriously, too.

That will certainly be true in the case of a Clarksville man arrested last Friday after police were called to a domestic disturbance at his home.

According to the Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle, the man barricaded himself inside the home with a young child.

The call came in to the E-911 Center just before two in the morning. A child placed the call and allegedly told responders that her mother and father were fighting and that her father was being violent and issuing threats.

When Clarksville law enforcement officials showed up at the Hickory Trace home, a 30-year-woman and 12-year-old girl exited the residence. They reportedly told the police officers that inside the home was the 30-year-old husband and two-year-old son.

When officers tried to communicate with the man, they got no reply. So they surrounded the home and called in negotiators and the tactical police unit.

After the arrival of those specialists, negotiators tried to speak with the man while the Tactical Unit apparently planned a forced entry to the residence.

According to a police statement, the man didn't respond to overtures, so Clarksville's Tactical Unit, along with the Montgomery County Sheriff's bomb squad, entered the lower level of the building. There they found the boy; they took him into custody and removed him from the scene.

Officers then proceeded to move to the upper level, where they set off a chemical irritant and a nonlethal stun grenade (flashbang device).

They arrested the man just before 6:30 in the morning.

He was charged with domestic assault and contempt.

Source: Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle: "Hostage situation leads to Clarksville man's arrest" by Tavia D. Green: June 25, 2011