Shortly after 7:00 pm last night, the Saline County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) was notified of a possible wanted subject inside of a home in the 4800 block of Highway 5.
When deputies arrived, Joseph Ioup refused to open the front door and began cursing. Mr. Ioup did have an active warrant for Failure to Appear (FTA) on a felony charge.
For over 40 minutes, the SCSO Patrol Division sergeant attempted to speak to Mr. Ioup. Mr. Ioup refused to exit the dwelling and began throwing items through windows in the direction of the SCSO deputies. At one point, Mr. Ioup threatened to burn the house down.
The sergeant on duty contacted the Fire Department to have them stand-by in the event that Mr. Ioup followed through with his threats. Shortly after the units from Crows Station Fire Department arrived, smoke and flames could be seen.
The dwelling was fully involved and Crows Station and Salem Fire Department units took steps to extinguish the blaze. Mr. Ioup dropped a Yellow Labrador Retriever out of the rear window and then lowered himself from that window to the ground.
Mr. Ioup was treated for minor injuries at the scene by the SCSO deputies and EMS personnel. He was later transported to Saline Memorial Hospital (SMH). Mr. Ioup was released from SMH and transported to the Saline County Detention Center.
Detectives from the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) responded to the scene. The CID detectives collected evidence and the investigation is ongoing. In addition to the felony FTA warrant, Mr. Ioup was charged with Arson, a Class A Felony.
SCSO Deputy Jack Campbell took custody of “Gunter” the 2 year old Yellow Lab. “Gunter” was examined and appears to be healthy. “Gunter” is in good hands and is expected to be released to either a relative or friend in the next few days.