Moonshine stills and a marijuana grow found after Wednesday’s Harrah standoff, negotiator describes sequence of events

Oklahoma County authorities found two moonshine stills and a marijuana grow in the home of a Harrah man after a four-hour standoff Wednesday afternoon.

The negotiator KFOR spoke with, Michael Davenport, said the call started out as a suicidal person. After some time on the phone with the man, it came to a peaceful end.

“I don’t know if he’s a good guy, bad guy or any other guy, he’s a person in crisis and he needs some help and we’re all human beings,” said Davenport, a 10-year veteran negotiator with the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office.

There was a massive police presence in Harrah Wednesday afternoon during a standoff with 42-year-old Bryant Hodges. Hodges was barricaded inside his home where authorities would later find the moonshine stills and marijuana grow. Davenport said the original call came in from a family member who reported a suicidal man armed with a pistol.

At one point, Hodges allegedly opened fire at officers and nearly hit them. He struck two Luther police vehicles. Davenport worked to calm the situation down over the phone.

Davenport eventually de-escalated the situation. He said they found a common ground and just had a conversation.

“The gentlemen told me he was not my friend,” Davenport said.

“We had a discussion. I go, ‘I know I’m not your friend but we’re both human beings and you’re more important than what you’re going through right now.’”

The tactical team was still ready to go in case anything got out of hand. However, it wouldn’t. Davenport brought it all to an end.

“What can I do right now to get you to a safer place?” Davenport asked Hodges at the time.

“He goes, ‘What do you want me to do, Mike?'”

But not before having to tell Hodges to leave his gun behind.

“Guns irrelevant brother, put it down,” Davenport said to Hodges at the time.

“Come out. It’s just going to be you and us.”

Chopper 4 caught authorities taking Hodges into custody. Davenport said the team reached their number one goal with a situation that he’s happy ended peacefully.

“Get everybody out of the situation safely and to a better place,” Davenport said.

“We put badges on to help our people.”

Hodges was taken into custody on multiple charges including domestic assault, possession of a firearm by a felon and illegal manufacturing of liquor.