Jonathan D. Miller, a Libertarian candidate for North Carolina Senate District 16, was taken into custody around 3 p.m. Monday after a standoff lasting several hours near Cary's Lochmere neighborhood. The episode followed online posts in which Miller described feeling suicidal the night before. Police had returned to his home for a welfare check, and Cary's police chief said Miller ran after officers told him not to touch a firearm.
Cary police said officers first attempted a welfare check at Miller's home on Glen Echo Lane around 8:26 a.m. Monday, according to WRAL. Police Chief Terry Sult said officers had been unable to contact Miller earlier. When they returned, Sult said, Miller had a firearm and ran after being told not to touch it. “He had a firearm and was ordered not to touch it, and he took off running,” Sult said, per the station's report.
Miller gave a different account to WRAL. He said an officer approached him outside, saw the revolver holstered on his hip and drew a weapon. Miller said he backed away before fleeing into the woods. Police have not publicly confirmed his account.
Apartment Complex Surrounded as Negotiations Dragged On
The standoff unfolded at Miller's apartment complex south of Kildaire Farm and Tryon roads, between the Colonnade shopping center and Lochmere. More than 40 police units responded, and Glen Echo Lane and Audubon Parc Drive were closed to vehicles and pedestrians, WRAL reported. After hours of negotiations, officers detained Miller behind his apartment building, according to the News & Observer. Nearby Resurrection Lutheran School was placed in a code yellow lockdown for part of the day, the same account reported. Police said nobody was injured.
The News & Observer reported that Miller was charged with felony possession of a firearm. The report did not cite a Cary police statement or a court record detailing the charge. Officials have not publicly confirmed Miller's account of being pursued by officers with guns drawn.
A Viral Post and a Call Placed Mid-Standoff
Miller told WRAL he had been depressed and suicidal the night before and had posted what he described as a suicide note on X. His posts and comments also appeared to refer to seeking armed confrontations with police, according to WRAL.
During the standoff, Miller called WRAL himself, saying he expected the situation to make the news and thought the station might have questions for him. Chase Oliver, the Libertarian Party's 2024 presidential nominee, responded publicly to Miller's social media posts, urging him not to take his life or engage in a battle with police, as noted by WRAL.
Crisis support options
Cary residents seeking crisis support can call or text 988 or chat online with a crisis counselor, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
Crisis Services and an Earlier Cary Standoff
North Carolina residents can call or text 988 or chat online with a crisis counselor, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. The department also lists mobile crisis teams, whose mental health specialists can meet someone in a safe place for free, day or night. That statewide resource information does not describe Cary police policy or Monday’s response. In a Dec. 4, 2023 announcement, the department said its 988 dashboard showed utilization had risen 25% over the previous year; that dated statewide figure does not explain this individual incident. Separately, CBS 17 reported that a Feb. 22, 2023, standoff at Windsor at Tryon Village Apartments followed a welfare check and involved an 11-year-old hostage. The man died by suicide in that incident, unlike Monday’s Lochmere standoff, in which police said nobody was injured.
A Crowded Race for a Wake County Senate Seat
Miller is one of three candidates vying for North Carolina Senate District 16, a seat covering much of Cary and western Wake County currently held by Adcock, who is seeking reelection as the Democratic incumbent. Republican Philip Hensley is also on the ballot, according to The News & Observer. Neither Hensley nor Miller responded to the News & Observer's candidate questionnaire ahead of the election, as reported by the paper's earlier election coverage.
