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Lake Co. Man Accused Of Terrorizing Wife, Kids With Shotgun

CLEARLAKE (AP) -- Authorities have arrested a Lake County man accused of assaulting his wife and terrorizing her and their three young children with a gun.

Officials told the Press Democrat of Santa Rosa that 41-year-old Raymond Brown Jr. held his wife captive at their home near Clearlake on Wednesday night and into the morning. They say he threatened to kill himself and the family, broke a window and fired a 20-gauge shotgun into the ceiling.

He was allegedly drunk and high on methamphetamine. His wife told authorities she escaped around 8 a.m. after he passed out.

While she was gone, Brown left with their children. Authorities pulled over his SUV hours later with the children, ages one month to 3 years, inside.

Brown is being held on suspicion of spousal battery, false imprisonment and making terrorizing threats.

(© 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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