A tense standoff unfolded early Tuesday, Nov. 19, when Liberty County deputies responded to a 911 call regarding a disturbance in the 800 block of Baker Circle in Ames.
The call, made at 4:30 a.m., reported that a male subject was holding three people inside a residence and refusing to let them leave. Deputies were also informed that weapons were present in the home.
Upon arrival, deputies found the front door open and reportedly spotted the suspect, later identified as 52-year-old Arrand Eugene Godfrey of Liberty. When Godfrey allegedly noticed the deputies, he retreated into the home, closed the door, and refused to come back out. It was confirmed that three individuals remained inside with him.
According to Capt. David Meyers, patrol units quickly set up a perimeter around the house while the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office Special Response Team (SRT) and investigators were dispatched to the scene.
The SRT team arrived around 6:20 a.m., and a trained hostage negotiator made multiple attempts to persuade Godfrey to surrender peacefully. Despite repeated efforts, the suspect remained uncooperative, Meyers said.
Deputies then deployed non-lethal OC canisters into several areas of the home. Shortly afterward, the front door opened, and the three hostages—two females and one male—exited with their hands raised. Once the hostages were safe, SRT deputies called out to Godfrey, urging him to surrender. Moments later, he opened the door and complied without further incident.
Godfrey was taken into custody by SRT deputies and is now being held in the Liberty County Jail. In addition to an existing parole warrant, he is charged with Aggravated Assault With a Deadly Weapon.