A hostage situation involving an Andalusia man and his 9-month-old baby was resolved peacefully following a domestic incident Saturday.

The incident began shortly before 2 p.m. when deputies responded to the call on Coyote Lane in Paul Trailer Court, located on Ala. Hwy. 55.

Chief Deputy David Anderson said when deputies arrived, they found the child’s mother in the home’s front yard “screaming and crying.”

“She said her boyfriend had locked himself in the house with the child,” Anderson said. “Deputies could hear things breaking and the child screaming, so they attempted to make entry into the home. By the time deputies gained access, the boyfriend had fled out the back door with the child and gone into the woods.”

Anderson said deputies attempted to pursue the man, who was later identified as 25-year-old John Hutchinson. When deputies lost sight of Hutchinson, the K-9 tracker was called in for the search.

“While waiting for the K-9 unit to arrive at the scene, (Hutchinson) made contact with the girlfriend and said he would take his life and the child’s life if pressured by law enforcement,” Anderson said. It was then that the county’s Incident Response Team was called in to negotiate, he said.

He said the K-9 unit was able to track Hutchinson’s movements through the area. Witnesses were then able to inform police that Hutchinson was picked up by an acquaintance and taken to a home on Brooklyn Road, where he was taken into custody without incident by IRT members a short time later. The child was then returned uninjured to its mother.

Hutchinson currently faces one count of reckless endangerment; however, Anderson said other charges are pending further investigation.

Deputies were assisted by members of the Sheriff’s Reserve, the Sheriff’s Posse and the Andalusia Police Department.