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HANCOCK, Md. -- A burglary suspect wanted in four states was holed up in a western Maryland hotel Thursday with a woman believed to be his pregnant girlfriend, and had threatened to kill her and any officers who approached him, police said.
The standoff began around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday when state troopers and sheriff's deputies went to the America's Best Value Inn on Md. 522 in Hancock to arrest 26-year-old James A. Prevatt III, Maryland State police spokesman Greg Shipley said.
Shipley said the suspect threatened to kill a woman in the room with him and kill any officers who tried to arrest him. The woman is thought to be Prevatt's 21-year-old girlfriend, and Shipley said she is believed to be in the late stages of pregnancy. Authorities don't know if Prevatt is the baby's father.
Troopers and deputies evacuated about 12 of the 20 rooms in the one-story motel where other guests were staying. The road that leads to the the hotel was blocked in both directions. A sign advertises room rates at $45 and up.
Prevatt is wanted Maryland, South Carolina, Massachusetts and Virginia on burglary and larceny charges, Shipley said. Police did not know if Prevatt is armed, but Shipley said some of the burglaries involved the theft of firearms.
Police had conversations with the suspect overnight, but not consistently.
"Our negotiators continue to work to keep dialogue going," Shipley said. He added that no shots had been fired, and police don't believe anyone is injured.
Hancock is located in Maryland's mountainous western panhandle, squeezed between the Potomac River and the Pennsylvania border. The town has a population of about 1,700, according to the U.S. Census.
