PANAMA CITY — An armed man who allegedly sent harassing text messages to his daughter and former wife has been arrested after taking two of his wife’s coworkers hostage early Tuesday morning, according to the Panama City Police Department.
Rayburn G. Belgard Jr., 56, of Panama City, was arrested Tuesday morning after an alleged hostage situation at the North Florida Medical Plaza, 1937 Harrison Ave. Two employees present in the lobby area of the business at 7:21 a.m. informed PCPD that Belgard was in the building’s back offices and had a firearm.
The building was subsequently evacuated and secured.
After a short period of time, Belgard walked to the front of the building, where officers made contact with him and were able take him into custody without incident, according to PCPD spokesman Richard Thore.
The entire incident lasted about 30 minutes.
“It was actually quite subdued,” Thore said. “We got a call saying he was there and he was armed. Then there was some talk about him releasing people. Then he just walked out.”
Belgard’s wife, from whom he had been separated for several weeks, worked at the medical plaza but was not present at the time, Thore said.
The two had been living at separate residences; on the previous evening, she called officers about a series of threatening texts Belgard sent to her and their daughter, according to PCPD. Officers attempted to locate Belgard but were unsuccessful that night, and charges for cyberstalking and domestic assault were filed with the State Attorney’s Office.
Police said they believe Belgard went to the offices to confront his wife. After his surrender, police searched the building and found the firearm in a back room. No one in the building was harmed, PCPD reported.
“It looks like he was just in a bad place due to the separation of he and wife,” Thore added.
Belgard was charged with two counts of false imprisonment, two counts of aggravated assault, one count of burglary with a firearm and one count of resisting an officer without violence, in addition to the previous charges stemming from the text messages.