Ex-boyfriend charged in assault of Pittsburg teen
Feb. 27—PITTSBURG, Kan. — A report of shots fired Thursday morning in a Pittsburg neighborhood led to the arrest of a 20-year-old man on kidnapping, assault and firearm charges following a brief standoff with police.
Michael D.J. Taylor, of Pittsburg, was arrested after briefly barricading himself inside the victim's residence in the 100 block of West Second Street, the Pittsburg Police Department said in a news release.
The incident began with a 10:25 a.m. report of shots fired in the area. Officers responding to the call located an 18-year-old woman who told them her estranged boyfriend had come to her home in an agitated state and bearing a handgun.
She said there had been a disturbance between them, and she had fled the residence. As she left, the ex-boyfriend discharged his firearm, she told police. But no one was injured in the shooting, police said.
Police were able to talk the man into coming out a short while later.
Taylor was charged with felony counts of kidnapping, aggravated assault and possession of a stolen firearm and misdemeanor charges of domestic battery and unlawful discharge of a firearm. He remained in custody Friday at the Crawford County Jail on a $20,000 bond.
Police said the handgun subsequently was found to have been reported stolen in Joplin.
Jeff Lehr is a reporter for The Joplin Globe.
