Lawyer Taken Hostage Near Ga. City HallThe Associated Press
Tuesday, January 17, 2006; 6:46 AM
STATESBORO, Ga. -- A hostage standoff at an attorney's office went into Tuesday morning as a man and woman continued to hold police at bay.
Police cordoned off part of downtown Monday in this small southeastern Georgia college town after a lawyer was taken hostage in his office near City Hall.
The two suspects have told police they are armed with an explosive device.
Police identified one of the suspects as Robert Eugene Brower, 43, a former client of the lawyer. Authorities did not release the names of the female suspect or the hostage.
In a news conference Monday night, Police Chief Stan York said Brower was angry about having been convicted in a criminal case in which the lawyer was his court-appointed attorney.
"Brower is 'seeking justice' for past crimes for which he was convicted _ and for which he feels he is
," York said.
York would not elaborate on the couple's demands, saying they only wanted to call attention to the case.
There were initially three hostages, but two were released unharmed, said Maggie Fitzgerald, a city spokeswoman.
Statesboro, a city of 22,000 that is home to Georgia Southern University, is 225 miles southeast of Atlanta. The community's Martin Luther King Day parade, which was to pass by the county courthouse near the scene, was canceled because of the standoff.