A disturbance call early in the morning on Wednesday, June 5 evolved into an hours-long standoff in the F-Section of Palm Coast resulting in the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) arresting two subjects.
At approximately 6:33 a.m., FCSO Communications received a call that the residents at 94 Forsythe Lane had been playing music throughout the night and that there were chairs, a table, a blanket, and a burning candle in the middle of street. The reporting parting advised they knew the address belonged to the parents of Hunter Detherow, who is currently incarcerated following a stabbing that occurred in March 2024. During this investigation, FCSO knew that the father had an arsenal of firearms in his home.
Deputies responded to the residence, where they encountered Hunter’s father, Robert Shawn Detherow, 55. During the interaction, Detherow began masturbating in front of deputies. As deputies backed towards the street to de-escalate the situation and called for backup, Detherow became aggressive and began throwing bottles at the deputies on scene. When additional units arrived on scene, Detherow retreated into the residence, exiting multiple times to yell at deputies before retreating again. Detherow was struck with a 40 millimeter less lethal rubber round, but retreated back into the residence and refused to comply with orders from law enforcement. A warrant was obtained for his arrest for Aggravated Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer along with a search warrant to enter the home and arrest him.
Now dealing with a barricaded subject who was possibly armed, a drone was launched for aerial surveillance and the FCSO Crisis Negotiation Team (CNT), Behavioral Response Unit (BRU), and SWAT team responded. Due to the presence of debris and wires covering the driveway and yard of the residence, FCSO requested the assistance of the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office (SJSO) Bomb Squad.
FCSO investigators located disturbing videos Detherow made and posted to his Facebook profile and YouTube channel in the previous few days alluding to “suicide by cop” and becoming a martyr, along with his displeasure of Sheriff Rick Staly and FCSO over his son’s arrest and inviting Sheriff Staly to respond and arrest him. He also indicated the death of America.
Over the course of multiple hours, Detherow refused to communicate with negotiators. Nearby residents were evacuated and other residents were asked to shelter in place. Eventually, the garage and front door of the residence were breached utilizing SJSO’s Rook armored critical incident vehicle and the FCSO SWAT BearCat, allowing deputies to gain a visual inside the residence using a robot equipped with a camera.
Inside the residence, deputies observed Detherow and another male, later identified as Kaleb Smith, 23, on the couch. Smith exited the residence and was struck with a less lethal round when he did not comply with orders, knocking him down. Smith was then apprehended and advised that nobody besides himself and Detherow were in the residence. Detherow remained in the house and kicked the robot over, obscuring deputies’ view inside the residence. A short time later, Detherow exited the residence, actively resisting deputies as he was apprehended.
Smith was arrested for Resisting an Officer without Violence. Detherow was arrested for Exposure of Sexual Organs, two counts of Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer, Resisting Law Enforcement without Violence, and Aggravated Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer. Both were transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility. Seven firearms and ammunition were seized from the home.
“Thankfully, we were able to resolve this situation without anyone getting hurt,” said Sheriff Staly. “It was a very long and hot day, with many deputies and our specialty equipment being used to deal with subjects who were not being compliant. This was a very dangerous situation for the deputies and his neighbors. I commend our deputies for the patience they displayed and their ability to deescalate the situation for a successful resolution. I also thank the neighbors that understood the dangerousness of the situation and voluntarily left their home or sheltered in place. I also thank the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI for their assistance. This man taunted me and FCSO to arrest him and we did.”
