Smithville Gunman Has Local Connection

An armed man who barricaded himself inside a Smithville addiction treatment center on Wednesday afternoon is from Fayette County.

According to a press release from the Smithville Police Department, Robert Wayne Stevenson, 49 of West Point, locked himself inside women’s dormitory of the Serenity Star drug and alcohol treatment center in downtown Smithville Wednesday morning, 

Police say Stevenson was armed with a pistol and a shotgun and was threatening suicide. Stevenson turned himself into police following a four-hour standoff. Stevenson is being held at the Bastrop County Jail on a charge of burglary of a habitation. Smithville Police Chief Mike Maugere said additional charges are pending the investigation. Lt. David Beyer of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office said a friend of Stevenson called 911 in Fayette County on Wednesday morning with concerns that Stevenson may harm himself.

“One of our deputies had a rapport with him from a previous encounter,” Beyer said.

That deputy attempted to contact Stevenson and went to Smithville after authorities learned Stevenson was barricaded inside the treatment center.

Beyer said the Fayette County deputy was instrumental in the negotiations that led to the suspect’s peaceful arrest. No shots were fired and no one was injured in the incident.