A Hempstead County man and woman are in jail after a strange 911 call Sunday afternoon led Deputies and Troopers to a home where a man confronted deputies with knives and told them they would have to kill him or he would kill himself.
The incident began when a 911 call came in where, according to Hempstead County Sheriff James Singleton, a woman told the dispatcher “he is armed”. She then told the dispatcher that they better be prepared when they get there. She didn’t give any further details to the dispatcher.
According to Hempstead County Sheriff James Singleton, Sergeant Matthew Dunham and Deputy Jim Bush were dispatched to a residence located at 202 Hempstead 273, where the call originated. When they arrived, they used the PA system on one of the trucks to make contact with the occupants and instructed them to come outside. Multiple Arkansas State Troopers from Troop G and other Hempstead County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the scene to assist Sgt Dunham and Deputy Bush.
After multiple attempts with no response, Sheriff Singleton said, deputies finally hear a subject known to them as Dwayne Mathis shouting out that if they came into the house, they were going to get hurt.
Sgt Dunham told Mathis to come out of the house. Sheriff Singleton said Mathis refused and told the Sergeant he was going to have to kill him (Mathis) today. Sgt Dunham told Mathis he didn’t want to hurt him and again tried to get him to come outside. Mathis then informed deputies he was going to put Renee Omundson, the woman who called 911, out of the house and warned them he would hurt them if they attempted to come inside.
According to the Sheriff, when Mathis opened the door, the deputies saw Omundson laying on the living room floor. Sgt Dunham entered the house and Mathis pulled two butcher knives from his waistband and ran to the back of the house.
Sgt Dunham pursued Mathis while Deputy Bush went to the back door of the house to keep Mathis contained. Mathis fled into the back bedroom and attempted to barricade himself in but Sgt Dunham was able to gain entry. As Sgt Dunham entered the room, Mathis put both knives to his own throat and threatened to kill himself if Dunham came any closer. Deputy Bush joined Sgt Dunham in the room and told Mathis they didn’t want to hurt him as they tried to convince him to put the knives down. Mathis told Dunham and Bush that he was not going back to jail and they would have to kill him or he would kill himself.
The deputies were unable to make any progress with Mathis as he continued to tell them they were going to have to kill him so they tazed him before he could harm himself or them. When Mathis was struck with the Tazer, he released his grip on the knives and Sgt Dunham and Deputy Bush grabbed him and placed him under arrest, bringing the situation to a quick resolution.
While Dunham and Bush were dealing with Mathis in the house, Deputy Derick Bunn checked on the status on Omundson and found a large cut on her left wrist. Pafford EMS was dispatched to take care of her wound. As the paramedics approached Omundson, she told them and the deputies that she was EMS and she didn’t need their help. The paramedic examined the cut and told her she would need stitches. She told him she taught him everything he knows and demanded he get back in his ambulance and leave her alone. She refused treatment and became increasingly hostile to medics and deputies. According to Sheriff Singleton, she appeared intoxicated as she continued to argue with deputies. She told them to leave and attempted to go back into the house and shut the door.
Deputies placed Omundson under arrest for disorderly conduct. As they took her to one of the deputy’s vehicles, she continually argued and cursed them. They finally got her into the back of Deputy Lonnie Friend’s cruiser and he transported her to Wadley Regional Medical Center in Hope but she apparently continued to refuse treatment. She was then transported to the Hempstead County Detention Facility (HCDF) and booked for disorderly conduct and domestic battery 3rd degree.
Mathis was also transported to the HCDF. He was charged with aggravated assault and domestic battery 2nd degree. Both are being held awaiting their first court appearance.
