SANTA ROSA COUNTY

SHERIFF'S OFFICE

Sheriff Wendell Hall

Man in Custody After Armed Home Invasion/SWAT Standoff in Navarre

Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Deputies have arrested a Ft. Walton man after receiving a call regarding a possible hostage situation. The incident began when the suspect, Lyndal Wilkens (38 years old) called his ex-girlfriend's (victims) residence stating that he wanted to meet the victim's current boyfriend to deliver some of the victim's personal effects. This was an alleged method for Wilkens to get the current boyfriend away from the victim's residence. Once the current boyfriend had left, Wilkens smashed through the rear door of the victim's residence armed with a sawed-off shotgun. The victim was able to hide in a box that was located inside of a room in the house as Wilkens roamed around looking for the victim. While hiding, the victim was able to send her current boyfriend a text message stating “911 Help Help”. The boyfriend immediately contacted the Sheriff's Office stating that he believed the victim was in trouble. Deputies arrived quickly and noticed that the rear door had been smashed in. When deputies yelled inside, Wilkens told them that he was armed and not to come inside. When the victim heard that deputies were there, she waited until she heard Wilkens walk to a different room and then fled out the front door to waiting deputies. She was able to escape without any injuries. The Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office SWAT Team and Hostage Negotiators were called to the scene due to Wilkens being armed and refusing to surrender to deputies. Escambia County Sheriff's Office SWAT personnel also assisted. Negotiators were able to establish phone contact with Wilkens. After approximately three hours of negotiations, Wilkens exited the residence unarmed with his hands raised and surrendered to SWAT Deputies. Wilkens was taken into custody on the below mentioned charges and transported to the Santa Rosa County Jail. During a search of the residence, deputies located a saw-off shotgun with ammunition. They also located a bag of items that Wilkens had brought with him. Inside the bag were handcuffs, rope, knives, gasoline, lighter fluid, and matches. A hand written letter was also located indicating that Wilkens went to the victim's residence with the intentions of killing the victim and then himself. No further details are being released concerning the letter. During the incident, three area schools were on lock down as a precaution. No one was injured during the incident. Wilkens is being held at the Santa Rosa County Jail with no bond.

Suspect:

Lyndal Kenneth Wilkens, W/M 38 years old

Ft. Walton , FL

Charges:

Armed Burglary of an Occupied Structure

Attempted Kidnapping

Possession of Burglary Tools

Possession of a Short Barreled Shotgun

Press Release By:

Sgt. Scott Haines

Media Relations Unit

(850) 981-2136 or shaines@srso.net