A disturbance outside of the Jefferson Public Library causes the library to be placed under a lockdown.

Greene County Sheriff Steve Haupert says at 11:32am on Friday, deputies and Jefferson police officers encountered a brief incident when 42 year-old Anthony James McCain of rural Jefferson parked his vehicle in the alleyway of the Jefferson Public Library and was using the library’s wireless internet illegally.

After authorities arrived, McCain had threatened to kill them or anyone who came close to him.  Haupert notes that during their conversation with McCain, Chief Deputy Jack Williams had the library go into a lockdown as a precautionary measure until the situation was resolved in an hour.

Haupert states that they obtained a medical committal order and McCain went peacefully and was taken to the Greene County Medical Center for a preliminary mental evaluation and was then taken to the State Mental Health Facility in Cherokee.

Pending those results, Haupert adds that McCain will come back to Greene County to stand trial and face possible charges.  Haupert comments that this is McCain’s second mental health evaluation in the past year.

The 42 year-old was found with only a pocket knife on him and his dog was taken in a portable kennel and given to the Greene County Humane Society.