Man arrested after domestic - several guns, ammo and drugs seized

On 03/25/2024, at approximately 11:52 pm, Officers from the Anson Police Department and the Jones County Sheriff's Department responded to the 1300 block of 20th Street about a welfare check. Jones County Dispatch advised they received a call from a grandmother stating her Grandchildren contacted her and said that their "Dad beat Mom up and that she was laying on the ground." The children advised their Grandmother that they were not sure if their mom was alive or not. The Grandmother advised three children were in residence: 10 yo, 7 yo, and 3 yo. Grandma advised the male, later identified as Lester Brown, had threatened to kill everyone in the home and then himself. Grandma further advised that Brown was heavily armed and had attempted to kill her the day prior.

When Officers arrived, they attempted to contact the residents but got no response at the door. Due to the situation, Officers established a perimeter and requested assistance from Abilene Police SWAT. Officers at the scene started receiving direct messages from the Victim, who indicated she and one child were in a room at the back of the residence, and the other two children were in another room in the front of the residence. After several tense minutes, Officers were able to establish communication with Brown and negotiate a peaceful surrender. The Victim sustained minor injuries and was treated and released from Anson General Hospital. We are pleased to inform you that the children were uninjured.

Further investigation revealed Brown has several previous convictions for aggravated assault, Deadly conduct with a firearm, assault-family violence (with previous convictions), and evading arrest. A search of the residence revealed body armor, 27 firearms ranging from assault rifles and handguns to hunting rifles, along with thousands of rounds of ammunition and over 50 loaded magazines. Brown also had several gun parts that would allow him to convert the assault rifles into "fully automatic weapons."

Officers from the Anson Police served a search warrant on a property owned by Brown in Stamford, TX., where they recovered 29.7 oz of Marijuana and additional gun parts and ammunition.

Brown was arrested and booked into Jones County on numerous felony charges. This investigation is ongoing with the assistance of Alcohol-Tobacco and Firearms (ATF).

The Anson Police Department would like to thank the Jones County Sheriff's Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the Stamford Police Department for their assistance.