A man is in custody Wednesday night following a hostage situation involving two South Amherst firefighters.
Firefighters were called to the house in the 100 block of Hornyak Road about 6:30 p.m. for a report of a fire in a wooded area near Quarry Road. A man who lives at the house armed with a rifle came outside and took two firefighters hostage, South Amherst Fire Chief Al Schmitz said at a press conference.
Property records from the Lorain County Auditor says Roy Griffith Sr. owns the home. Neighbors said the man taken into custody was Roy Griffith Jr., who lives at the home with his father.
The Lorain County Sheriff's Office and the South Amherst Fire Department declined to confirm Griffith Jr.'s arrest, but Lorain County Jail records list him as an inmate. The jail's website does not list what charges he faces or whether he has a bond, but it lists his initial court appearance is Oct. 23.
Eight firefighters responded to the scene. The man came out of the house and stood by the fire truck. Schmitz said that his firefighters noticed that the man seemed agitated before he went back inside his house.