A bizarre late-night 911 call in McDermott sent Scioto County Sheriff’s deputies scrambling after a woman told a stranger that her own family was shooting at her. What unfolded next was a confusing mix of slammed doors, strange noises, and mental-health red flags — ending not with gunfire, but with the arrest of a man wanted on an outstanding warrant.
Deputies responded to a trailer after the caller reported the woman was claiming her family had been firing shots at her. When an officer approached the home, someone immediately shut the door in his face. He detained an uncooperative man at the residence while trying to sort out the situation.
Inside, deputies reported hearing “knocking on the wall” coming from somewhere in the home, but the detained man continued to give evasive answers. He eventually gave verbal consent for officers to search the residence.
Meanwhile, the woman who made the alarming claim had already left the scene in a silver four-door sedan headed toward State Route 73. Deputies tracked down her daughter at a separate location. She told officers she hadn’t spoken to her mother since the day before and explained that her mom experiences intermittent mental-health issues. She also confirmed her mother recently acquired a 2005 Chevy Malibu — possibly gold — and said that her brother also lives at the residence deputies originally visited.
A full sweep turned up no evidence of gunfire, violence, or foul play. Neighbors also denied hearing any shots.
However, while investigating, deputies discovered the woman’s son — the man at the home — had an open warrant out of New Boston for failure to appear. They took him into custody and transported him to the Scioto County Jail.
