A father and son from Blairsville were arrested Wednesday afternoon after a domestic dispute and reported hostage situation in Clarkesville.
Tyler Blanchard, 26, faces three counts of Aggravated Assault, two counts of Cruelty to Children and one count of Criminal Damage in the incident. His father, Charles Blanchard, 70, faces one count of Obstruction of Justice.
Habersham County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to the Apple Mountain Resort at approximately 4:11 p.m., where Sheriff Joey Terrell says they determined that the alleged hostage situation that prompted a 911 call was a domestic dispute involving Tyler Blanchard.
"The incident occurred inside a second-story resort room and involved three victims; an adult female and two children. During the dispute, an intoxicated Tyler made repeated verbal threats to the adult female with her children present," Terrell explained in a social media post. "The female retreated to a locked bedroom to protect herself and her children; however, Tyler continued to issue verbal threats and bang on the door. Tyler’s threats included his intent to strike the adult female with a gun he had in his possession."
Charles Blanchard was at some point notified of the ongoing incident, and traveled to the report to pick up his son. While leaving the premises, witnesses spotted the pair circling the adult victim's vehicle before one of the men slashed its front tires.
"Before deputies arrived, [the suspects] reportedly fled the scene in a Kia Forte, according to the 911 caller," Terrell said. "Deputies stopped that vehicle minutes later, within a mile of the initial scene."
Both men were arrested following that traffic stop, and were booked into the Habersham County Jail.
