MT. CLEMENS (WWJ) – A Mount Clemens man is facing a long list of charges after a standoff with police on the Fourth of July, stemming from a dispute with his neighbor over his dog.
Dwayne Lamarr Lester, 64, is facing 26 charges, including assault with intent to murder.
The Macomb County Sheriff’s Office says it all unfolded around noon on Monday when they received a call from a woman who said she had tried speaking with Lester regarding his dog. Lester then allegedly pulled out a gun and threatened to shoot her.
Authorities did not say what the dog had done that prompted the neighbor to approach Lester.
When deputies arrived at the scene on Clinton Street near Gratiot in Mount Clemens, they saw Lester with a gun and he ran inside his condo and barricaded himself inside.
A short while later, the suspect allegedly came back outside and fired shots at the deputies, before retreating back inside the condo. The sheriff’s office says no one was hurt at this time.
Deputies then set up a perimeter around the scene and evacuated the area, while a SWAT team, crisis negotiators and UAV units were called in.
Around 12:35 p.m., Lester allegedly came back outside and fired more shots at deputies with a long rifle, hitting an unoccupied squad car.
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One deputy returned fire and believed he had hit the suspect, who retreated back inside. Negotiators then talked to Lester on the phone who said he’d been hit. Negotiators tried to get him to come back outside and he said he would, but instead broke a window, went onto a balcony and fired more shots before going back inside, according to the sheriff’s office.
The sheriff’s office says six people were evacuated from the condo building during this time.
As the day went on, negotiators tried to keep talking to Lester, but were unable to. That’s when the UAV team sent drones into the condo, along with a SWAT robot. Lester was seen inside on the couch and SWAT team members then entered the condo.
Lester was arrested and taken to a hospital with a gunshot wound to his right arm.
Deputies found Lester’s dog in his car outside the condo and the dog was turned over to Macomb County Animal Control for care.
The sheriff’s office says the deputy who shot Lester was placed on administrative leave.
Lester was arraigned Thursday in 41-B District Court in Clinton Township. In addition to one count of assault with intent to murder, he was charged with 13 counts of felony firearm, 11 counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of discharging a firearm in or at a building.
Lester’s bond was set at $1 million and he remains in custody.
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