ALLEGHANY COUNTY (WSLS 10) - Family members say the man involved in a standoff with police near Lake Moomaw believed ISIS was coming to bomb the dam. In a video posted on Facebook, he said he wanted to protect Covington.
Police say they were called to the scene around 10:45 a.m. on Sunday, to respond to the Lake Moomaw area, where they found a man walking around with a gun. He was later identified as 30-year-old Ricky Lee Chittum.
Authorities say he now faces felony assault charges.
The video posted on Chittum's Facebook page on Saturday, may give authorities clues to what sparked Sunday's incident.
In this post he talks about how God told him to be a general of an army for Christ called Appalachian Christian Elite (ACE). He goes on to say followers should bring their faith and weapons.
Family members tell us the Army veteran suffered from PTSD and wanted to help protect the dam from terrorist attacks.
"If they take out Kelly's Pier it means they flood Covington," said Chittum in his Facebook video.
Authorities at the scene say Chittum made anti-terrorist comments and had been on their radar before this standoff happened.
Matthew Bowser, Chief Deputy with the Alleghany County Sheriff's Office, said "He had been the topic of discussion in the law enforcement community for the past few months, about some statements that were reported he made that were kind of off the wall and extreme."
Relatives say the Alleghany man camped out the night before this incident.
As a safety precaution, officers blocked off the area as negotiations began.
Bowser said,"We started a negotiation process to find out how we were going to come to a peaceful end to this."
Police say nearly three and a half hours after crews first responded to this scene, he surrendered and now faces charges of brandishing a weapon and assaulting an officer.
Police searched the area for explosives and other evidence that may lead to a motive. As the investigation continues, people say they are happy to see this tense situation end safely.