WEST PLAINS, Mo. — A West Plains man wanted on rape charges in Arkansas is in custody after an hours-long standoff with police.
According to a press release from the West Plains Police Department (WPPD), officers responded to a residence on Tiffany Street at around 5:15 p.m. on Sept. 19 after receiving information that a wanted man was living there.
When officers arrived, 38-year-old James Michael Meese ran into the house and barricaded himself inside, the press release said. The WPPD Crisis Negotiations team attempted to negotiate with Meese, who refused to exit the home.
After several hours, police were able to get inside the house and took Meese into custody.
Arkansas court records show Meese has been charged with rape, three counts of fourth-degree sexual assault and first-degree terroristic threatening.
A probable cause statement from the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office says a 14-year-old girl told deputies that she had been having sex with Meese since May 2024. She said she had initially met him two years ago when she and another juvenile girl wanted to smoke marijuana and contacted Meese, who provided them with the drugs.