Boonville hostage rescued after eight-hour standoff

BOONVILLE, Mo. -- An eight-hour hostage drama ended Thursday morning when police raided a house to rescue a woman and arrest her former boyfriend.

Boonville Police Chief Jim Gholson said the hostage apparently suffered fractures of her jaw and each hand as well as abrasions and bruises. However, Missouri State Highway Patrol spokesman Greg Mason said the woman's injuries appeared minor.

Authorities filed 11 charges against Christopher Todd Roper, 38, of Boonville, including kidnapping, first-degree assault, armed criminal action, and forcible sodomy. The assault and kidnapping charges carry potential life sentences.

The episode began about 12:30 a.m. Thursday when Roper went to the woman's home, Gholson said. She had recently obtained a court order barring Roper from contacting her. Gholson said Roper "showed up, and this other guy was in the house, and crap hits the fan."

A man staggering in the street flagged down a police officer. Gholson said the man had suffered "a major cut to his forehead" and two stab wounds in the back. The man told police an intruder had assaulted him inside the woman's house.

Police went to the house, and Roper told them that he had a gun, Gholson said, adding that Roper threatened to harm the woman and himself.

Gholson said police negotiated with Roper through a door after he ripped two phones off the wall inside the house. The standoff ended after police distracted Roper with a maneuver at the front of the house while others forced entry through a rear door and rescued the woman.