Man arrested after barricading himself in attic

HENRY COUNTY, Va. (WDBJ) - A man is in custody after deputies say he barricaded himself in an attic Wednesday night.

At 7 p.m., deputies from the Henry County Sheriff’s Office were called to a home on Grassy Creek Road in Martinsville, in an attempt to arrest Ronald Gene Edwards, Jr., who was wanted on felony drug indictments. When deputies approached, they say, he retreated into the home, telling deputies he had a knife and would not come out. Negotiators were not able to further contact Edwards, according to the sheriff’s office, which got a search warrant to enter the home.

A sheriff’s office tactical unit entered the home about 11 p.m. and found he was in the attic, from which they removed him about an hour later.

Edwards, Jr., 33, was taken into custody on felony charges of Distribution of Fentanyl and Distribution of Tramadol, as well as misdemeanor Obstruction of Justice for failing to exit the home. He is being held in the Henry County Adult Detention Center without bond.