North Carolina political candidate arrested after disturbing live posts during hours-long standoff with police

A North Carolina man running for state office was arrested on Monday, after he made a series of disturbing social media posts.Jonathan D Miller, the Libertarian Party candidate for a state Senate seat, was taken into custody at around 3pm following an hours-long standoff with police that prompted a local private school to go under lockdown, WRAL reports.He was then charged with communicating threats, resisting officers and going armed to the terror of people, the Cary Police Department announced.Officers were first called to Miller's apartment for a welfare check at around 8.26am on Monday after he posted to social media about feeling suicidal the night before, Police Chief Terry Sult said at a news conference.When police then arrived on the scene, they found Miller with a firearm and he 'was ordered not to touch it' at which point he fled into the woods behind his apartment complex, Sult said.Police then deployed a SWAT team to help search for Miller and brought in negotiators to speak with the candidate.'Our ultimate goal here was to protect life - his life and those that he might encounter - not knowing what his mindset was,' Sult said.Meanwhile, Miller continued to post to social media. Jonathan D Miller, the Libertarian Party candidate for a North Carolina state Senate seat, was taken into custody on Monday afternoon following an hours-long standoff with police. Source: Jonathan D Miller/X Miller posted about the police chasing him on social media Monday morning. Source: Jonathan D Miller/X'The whole police department is chasing me with guns drawn. This should be fun,' he wrote at 9.38am, followed by another post in which he wrote: 'I've got six shots and the high ground.'I hope they don't find me, but if they do, it's going to be a hell of a show,' he warned.As he ran from police, Miller also decided to call WRAL and share his story.'Last night, I was pretty depressed and suicidal and I sort of put a suicide note on X and it has gone quite viral,' he told the outlet.'Actually, millions of people have seen it,' the state Senate candidate then bragged. 'I usually get about 50 views on my post, but this one has gone super viral on me.''I spent all night crying and angry and upset and depressed and all the emotions,' he continued. 'And this morning, I was tired, but I had things I needed to do. And I didn't kill myself.'When he then stepped outside his apartment to have a cigarette, a police officer approached and 'saw that I had a holstered revolver on my hip, so he drew his weapon and told me to keep my hands away from mine,' Miller recounted.'I told him I was going to refuse that order, and I backed away slowly until I was far enough away from him to turn and run, and then I turned and ran into the woods.' It is unclear what will now happen with Miller's campaign, as he remains behind bars at the Wake County Detention CenterAfter several hours of being pursued, he decided to deride the Cary Police Department.'They have been chasing me since this morning. They're not very good at it. They really probably should get some more training on tracking somebody down,' Miller suggested.When he was then asked why he was hiding in the woods, Miller explained that he didn't want police to take him into custody and 'then lock me up in a hospital' where he doubted he would get adequate mental health treatment.'If I go to the hospital, I'll spend approximately 15 to 30 seconds every day with a doctor and that'll be my time to talk it out,' Miller said. 'He'll write me a [prescription] for a drug that doesn't help, and in a few days, I'll be right back where I'm at now.'As police then closed in on him, Miller told WRAL he was 'hoping to wait them out and then disappear and never come back to Cary.'But at 1.46pm, Miller posted on social media that 'they almost got me' after using a negotiator to distract him while SWAT teams surrounded him.'Luckily I spotted one of them and took off,' he wrote, calling it a 'close' call and lamenting that he did not have any water with him. Moments later, he noted that the police had search dogs with them 'so I'm probably done for.' Miller posted about how the police were closing in on him on Monday afternoon. Source: Jonathan D Miller/XOfficers were ultimately able to apprehend Miller on Monday afternoon, with nobody injured in the standoff.'He was in a dark place,' Sult noted, saying Miller 'felt like he was on his last leg.'The police chief went on to thank WRAL for speaking with the candidate, and allowing police to monitor the conversations.'We were able to coach whoever was talking to him a little,' Sult said, explaining that the conversations 'gave us some additional insight [that was] very consistent with what we were dealing with.'It bridged the gap,' he said.Miller had previously been convicted of cyberstalking in 2015 and was later convicted of Delivery or Sale of a Scheduled VI Controlled Substance in 2017, according to the Raleigh News & Observer. It is unclear what will now happen with Miller's campaign, as he remains behind bars at the Wake County Detention Center.He had been running for the state Senate seat currently held by Democratic Sen Gale Adcock, for which Republican Party nominee Philip Hensley is also running.In a statement to reporter Stephen Horn, the Libertarian Party of North Carolina said it was 'aware of the situation earlier today in Cary, NC.'We want to express our gratitude that everything was resolved peacefully. We would like to thank the Cary, NC police for their professional response and for pursuing a solution without involving violence.'We will have no further comment on this matter.'The Daily Mail has also reached out to the Libertarian Party of North Carolina for comment. If you or someone you know needs help, please call or text the confidential 24/7 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the US on 988. There is also an online chat available at 988lifeline.org.