A Texarkana man who was engaged in a standoff with police after barricading himself in his apartment with two young boys in March pleaded not guilty to multiple felonies Monday at a hearing in Bowie County district court.
Andrew Justin Brown, 40, appeared for arraignment before 202nd District Judge John Tidwell on four counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, two counts of abandoning or endangering a child, a count of obstruction or retaliation, a count of coercion of a public servant and a count of terroristic threat against a peace officer. Assistant Public Defender Clayton Haas entered pleas of not guilty to all charges.
According to a probable cause affidavit, neighbors of Brown’s called police the night of March 24 after allegedly seeing him hold one of his twin 8-year-old boys on the ground while shaving his head and poking both boys in the chest with scissors in front of his apartment in the 6600 block of Jones Street. Brown allegedly threatened to kill his children, threatened to kill his neighbors and had barricaded himself inside of his apartment with the boys when police were called.
Brown surrendered when a SWAT team responded to assist. Inside the apartment officers allegedly observed “shooting stations” with loaded weapons and ammunition in reach of the children. The twin boys were found hiding in a bathtub under a blanket. Each boy’s head had been partially shaved and they allegedly behaved as if they were in the military.
Brown allegedly threatened to kill the children of the arresting officer.
If convicted of obstruction or retaliation or coercion of a public servant, Brown faces 2 to 10 years in prison on either charge. If found guilty of terroristic threat against a peace officer or of child endangerment or abandonment, Brown faces six months to two years in a state jail. If found guilty of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, Brown faces 2 to 20 years on each of the four counts.
Brown is currently being held in the Bowie County jail.
