Vernon County Sheriffs Office Press Release: Man sets camper on fire while still inside

Camper on fire in Horton

A call of a suicidal subject making threats to family members escalated late Wednesday night when the subject refused to come out of a camper that was next to a residence in the Horton area. According to a press release form the Vernon County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched to the call around 8:30 Tuesday evening to deal with a subject that was reportedly making threats to family members who were close by. The subject had locked himself in a camper and refused to come out and was reported to have knives and a firearm with him. The subject also told deputies that “the shooting would start” if they tried to come in. Vernon County Sheriff Jason Mosher said a certified hostage negotiator was called out to the scene as well as a Crises Intervention Officer to try and talk to the subject in the camper. The Sheriff said after a couple of hours of attempting to get the subject to come out, the subject yelled that he was going to end it now. The Sheriff said the subject then grew quiet and they could not make contact with him after that. “At that point we could not wait any longer. We didn’t want anyone else getting hurt but we also didn’t want the subject to hurt himself.” The Sheriff said the team then deployed some pepper spray through a window in an attempt to get the subject to come out. It did get him to unlock and open the door but he still refused to come out. The Sheriff said at that point they knew he had not harmed himself yet so they could go back to waiting and talking. Mosher said while deputies again started trying to talk the man into coming out of the camper he yelled he was not going to and then started a fire inside the camper. 

“When we saw the flames we started yelling for him to come out and he refused so we then had to try and go in after him. The Sheriff said during the altercation the subject who was armed with two large knives, threw a knife at deputies when they tried to enter the burning camper, and then started swinging a knife at them after that. The Sheriff did confirm that less lethal ammunition was then used on the subject and the subject was removed from the burning camper.

“This was a critical case where we nearly lost a life, but the training and the use of less lethal ammunition we have made available to the deputies gave them the ability do their job and keep everyone alive.” The Sheriff said the subject was taken to the hospital out of routine for a follow-up but said there was no major injuries to the subject. “We lost a camper to a fire, but they saved a life and that’s what counts” said Mosher.