Man arrested, charged after threatening family with knife, setting fire in house

After a violent encounter with family members and a "lengthy" negotiation with SWAT around 1:45 in the morning Sunday, a Willernie man was taken into custody.

Travis Terry Emerfoll, 44, is facing two felony charges: first-degree arson and domestic assault after Sunday morning’s antics. According to a criminal complaint, deputies responded to a home on Wildwood Road on a report of a man threatening people with a knife.

Upon arriving, deputies found Emerfoll talking with his mother on the front porch, holding a large silver knife, the complaint says. He did not comply with the officers’ requests to drop the knife and locked himself inside the house. Two other people — Emerfoll’s aunt and girlfriend — were inside the home.

Deputies used less lethal force while inside the home since Emerfoll wouldn’t drop the knife, the complaint states. The SWAT team also responded to assist, but Emerfoll barricaded himself inside the house and lit blankets and clothing on fire.

The fires did cause "some" damage to the house, but deputies successfully extinguished them.

After four hours of negotiation, Emerfoll surrendered and was arrested, then booked into Washington County Jail.

Emerfoll’s aunt told officers that they had come back from the bar and he became upset. His girlfriend entering his aunt’s room made the situation worse, the complaint says. He proceeded to try to kick down the door and pry it open with the knife.

"I’m going to [expletive] punch you [expletive]," he told his aunt, according to court filings. His girlfriend also said he slapped her in the face and punched her in the chest.

Emerfoll has previous felony convictions, including domestic assault in 2018, second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon in 2017 and violating an order for protection in 2012.

His first appearance in court is Tuesday.