Man arrested after nearly 19 hour standoff with police in Mount Jackson

SHENANDOAH COUNTY, Va. (WHSV) - A Timberville man is in custody after he barricaded himself in a home for nearly 19 hours in Shenandoah County. Joshua Litten was arrested shortly after 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday and surrendered peacefully after a long standoff with the Shenandoah County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) and Virginia State Police.

The SCSO had been working to negotiate with Litten as he was barricaded inside a home in Mount Jackson since 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Officials say they got a call that Joshua Litten was armed inside a home that was not his own in the area of Perry Trailer Park Road.

The SCSO said after several attempts to negotiate a peaceful resolution, Litten fired shots from inside the home.

After hours of negotiations, State Police were preparing to forcibly enter the home with a battering ram and a heavily armed S.W.A.T. at which point Litten did exit and surrender without any shots being fired. He was then taken into custody.

Litten was wanted on several charges in Rockingham County prior to the incident including failure to appear in court and a probation violation.

During the standoff, the SCSO also obtained the following warrants for Litten:

18.2-56.1- Reckless Handling of a Firearm

18.2-26/18.2-51.1-Attempted Malicious Wounding of Law Enforcement (x3)

18.2-308.2- Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon

The incident was not Litten’s first run-in with the law. Online court records show he has a significant rap sheet that dates back to 2012 when he was sentenced to two years in a penitentiary for child abuse.

Over the years since he had racked up a number of traffic offenses, probation violations, drug possession charges, as well as a charge of felony eluding of police.

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