Wallace man arrested after standoff with law enforcement

WALLACE — On Nov. 21, the Duplin County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of Demarcus Carney after a standoff with the North Carolina Department of Public Safety Probation and patrol officers at Lincoln Street in Wallace on Nov. 19.

Carney had become agitated and belligerent, ultimately barricading himself inside his residence when law enforcement tried to arrest him with a probation violation warrant.

According to the Sheriff’s Office at approximately 5:10 p.m., deputies were notified of the situation and made their way to the location, accompanied by officers from the Wallace Police Department and the North Carolina Highway Patrol. Upon arriving at the scene, “officers observed Carney breaking windows and attempting to throw what appeared to be hot grease at them from inside the residence,” stated the press release.

Law enforcement established an outer perimeter to create a safe zone for the evolving situation. Negotiators from the Duplin County Sheriff’s Office began communicating with Carney in an effort to deescalate the situation. After some time, these negotiation efforts were exhausted, prompting the Duplin County Sheriff’s Office Special Response Team to deploy less-lethal munitions to encourage Carney to exit the residence. Eventually, the Special Response Team was able to enter the residence, conduct a search of the interior, and safely take Carney into custody without any injuries.

“Duplin County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank Wallace Police Department, North Carolina Highway Patrol, North Carolina Probation and Parole, Duplin County Emergency Services and Wallace Fire Department for their assistance in the incident,” wrote law enforcement.