Dane County Courthouse Locked Down After Gun Threat

Sheriff’s deputies locked down the Dane County Courthouse after getting a call of a man holding a woman hostage inside.

Dane County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Elise Schaffer said emergency dispatchers got a call from a courthouse employee a little after noon on Monday. The employee said a man was inside the courthouse holding a gun to a woman’s head.

The courthouse’s bailiffs locked the building’s doors and Madison police established a perimeter outside.

Schaffer said the lockdown lasted only about five minutes. Investigators quickly determined the woman’s husband had sent her a text message with a picture of himself holding a gun to his head and wasn’t in the courthouse.

Police spokesman Joel DeSpain said officers located the man at his home on Amnicon Trail in the city of Madison and arrested him.

DeSpain said the man could face domestic-related charges.