RUFFIN, N.C. – Rockingham County Sheriff’s Deputies have taken Joseph Linwood Irving into custody following an almost nine-hour long standoff. Irving barricaded himself inside his Ruffin home and threatened deputies with a firearm.

While attempting to serve multiple arrest warrants at 183 Deodara Lane, Irving pointed a shotgun at deputies as they approached the house.

Officers established a perimeter around the Irving’s residence and cordoned off the area to all traffic as they negotiated with the 37-year-old. His father was in the home at the time but was released unharmed.

During the course of the standoff, deputies believe Irving was responsible for phoning in a number of bomb threats to all of the Rockingham County high schools and several governmental buildings.

The Greensboro Police Bomb Squad responded. All Rockingham County Schools underwent a lock-down as a precautionary measure. All of the buildings were searched and nothing out of the ordinary was found.

Irving was taken into custody at 4:45 Wednesday afternoon and faces multiple charges in the incident.

Irving was a candidate for clerk of court in Rockingham County in 2018.