Man detained after hostage situation at Miner motel

A man was in custody after a hostage situation Monday night at a Miner, Missouri, motel.

Miner police chief Chris Griggs said the department got a call about 5:30 p.m. Monday about a man barricaded in a room with a hostage at the Super 8. Griggs said police had been seeking the suspect, Gary Ray Corder Jr., in connection with a separate investigation.

Police found the room they believed Corder and his hostage to be in and knocked at the door.

Griggs said when a woman opened the door, the suspect came around and held a knife to her throat, telling the officer "he was going to kill her if we made any advances."

At that point, officers contacted the Sikeston Department of Public Safety hostage negotiation team and SWAT team. They arrived and began negotiations over the phone, Griggs said.

"It's a give-and-take relationship is what it amounts to," Griggs said of negotiations.

It was decided Corder would exit the room with the knife held to the woman. Griggs said officers had to employ various tactics to get Corder in custody, including using a Taser. He was taken into custody about 10 p.m., Griggs said.

Corder sustained minor injuries "as a result of the takedown," Griggs said.

The woman was not injured. Griggs said she claimed to have known Corder about seven months but said there was "no relationship at all between them," Griggs said.

Griggs said police discovered during the incident Corder was wanted on a felony warrant for "dangerous drugs." Bond in that case had been set at $10,000 cash only.

"We are seeking additional felony charges," Griggs said.

The Miner Police Department, Sikeston Department of Public Safety, Scott County Sheriff's Office and Missouri State Highway Patrol responded to the scene.

Corder was being held at the Scott County Sheriff's Office.

kwebster@semissourian.com

388-3646

Pertinent address:

2609 E Malone, Sikeston, MO 63801