Suspect in Conway Hospital Standoff Arrested
According to United States Attorney W. Walter Wilkins, a Myrtle Beach man, Robert McGowan, was indicted by a federal grand jury for felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. He faces a minimum of 60 months in prison. The charges stem from an incident that occurred last month, when McGowan was in a standoff with Horry County police for almost sixteen (16) hours outside the Conway Medical Emergency Room. He held police at bay with a .22 caliber riffle on October 21, 2008. He has told authorities that he was planing on committing suicide at the time.
A Federal judge denied his bail at a bond hearing and stated that he was a danger to the public. At the time he was federally indicted, McGowan was on parole for shooting an Horry County police officer in 1996. He was released after serving ten (10) years in prison for shooting he officer in the hand while he was being arrested for disorderly conduct. He will now have a rough road and will need a good criminal defense attorney to represent him.
McGowan's metal status is obviously an issue and will need to be investigated by his defense attorney. A request for a psychiatric evaluation should be done at the earliest opportunity and a good criminal defense lawyer would seek out a psychiatrist with experience in these type of evaluations.
We have experienced federal defense lawyers in South Carolina that can assist with any federal indictment. Our team of attorneys in Myrtle Beach, Charleston, Florence, Conway, Miami, Miami Beach and North Myrtle Beach are able to help in defending these cases.
