CLEARLAKE — Autopsy results revealed that a man who barricaded himself in his estranged wife”s home, held his wife and daughter hostage and later shot himself was under the influence of a near-fatal amount of methamphetamine when he died Jan. 10.
An investigation by the Lake County Coroners Office determined that Johnnie Thomas, 31, of Lucerne died of a single, self-inflicted shotgun injury to the head. A standard blood test taken after his death additionally showed that Thomas had acute methamphetamine toxicity. The amount of the illegal substance in Thomas” blood at the time of his death measured 4,800ng. According to the LCSO, the average range in tolerant abusers is less than 200ng.
On the afternoon of Jan. 10, the Lake County Sheriff”s Department Special Response Unit (SWAT & CRT) was called upon to assist the Clearlake Police Department, which had reported that earlier that day a man had taken his estranged wife and 3-year-old daughter hostage in their apartment, located within the Cache Creek Apartments.
According to Thomas” estranged wife, at some point after she was held hostage, she was able to summon help and get away. Thomas released his daughter 45 minutes after negotiations began, but barricaded himself within the apartment. When SWAT arrived, they learned that Thomas was armed with one shotgun and could possibly have access to other weapons. Team members began evacuating people who could be safely moved from the neighboring apartment units. According to a press release, SWAT members also restricted movement of other residents of the complex for their safety.
After several hours of active negotiations, with numerous failed attempts to resolve the situation peacefully, SWAT entered apartment in the hopes of subduing Thomas, only to find him dead in the master bathroom.
Contact Rene Morales at rmorales@record-bee.com.
