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Niceville man in custody following 9 hour standoff, facing multiple charges

A Niceville man is in custody and facing multiple charges following a nine-hour standoff on Wednesday with the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. According to the OCSO, Deputies were called to a […]

Jared Williams

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A Niceville man is in custody and facing multiple charges following a nine-hour standoff on Wednesday with the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.

According to the OCSO, Deputies were called to a home on 23rd Street around 8:30am in reference to a domestic battery call. The suspect, Michael Leavins, barricaded himself inside the home and refused to come out.

The OCSO Special Response Team and Crisis Negotiations Unit, along with other specialized units, responded and ultimately found Leavins hiding in the attic. He was taken into custody by members of the Special Response Team.

Leavins is a convicted felon but multiple firearms were recovered from the home, according to the report.

The OCSO had assistance from the Niceville Police Department, Okaloosa County EMS, Niceville and other fire departments, as well as Okaloosa Emergency Management.

No one was injured in the incident. Additional details on the charges will be released once they become available.

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