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Stuart gunman in custody after standoff

Posted at 12:26 PM, Jun 13, 2017
and last updated 2017-06-13 17:54:38-04

It was a tense afternoon in a quiet Stuart neighborhood when police, with their weapons drawn, responded to a hostage situation near the 1600 block of Palm Beach Road. 

Police said Patrick Rogan was holding his girlfriend against her will.

Records reveal Rogan has served more than a decade for manufacturing and selling meth. He was released in January.

"He had a night of drinking and drug use. He became upset with his girlfriend at some point during the evening hours," said Stuart Police Detective Jeffrey Kittredge.

His 18-year-old son, who investigators say is on the autism spectrum, walked out the house, and over to a neighbor.

Police were called, neighbors were evacuated, and SWAT was deployed as investigators thought a gun might be involved.

Soon after, police said Rogan's girlfriend made a run for it. "The female was actually was able to escape out the front door, wrapped in a comforter or a sheet, and was hysterical.

Now alone in the house, police were able to focus on Rogan and draw him out after about 90 minutes of negotiation.

He just wanted a cigarette, police said.

He's facing charges of false imprisonment, sexual battery, battery, and aggravated assault, police said.