CLINTON, Iowa — Erin Pridemore sought an order of protection against her husband in February after he told her “he was going to show me what being by myself was really like.”

On Tuesday, Clinton police identified Shamus B. Pridemore, 39, of Fulton, Ill., as the man who held his wife hostage for six hours before taking his own life Monday night at the Iowa Workforce Development office in Clinton.

Pridemore had a history of threatening the life of his 33-year-old wife, causing them to separate within the past few months, according to court records. In February, she was granted an order of protection against him in Whiteside County, Ill.

According to Clinton police, Shamus Pridemore entered the Iowa Workforce Development office at 2740 S. 17th St. in west Clinton just after 2 p.m. Monday and took Erin out of the building to his vehicle in the parking lot. They then returned to the office, where Shamus Pridemore brandished a shotgun and told everyone else in the building to leave.

Shamus Pridemore barricaded himself and his wife inside the building, keeping police at bay for six hours. After speaking with hostage negotiators over the telephone, Shamus Pridemore agreed to release his wife and surrender, but he shot and killed himself after allowing his wife to leave the building, according to police.

Clinton Police Capt. Mike Gertson said Erin Pridemore received minor injuries during the standoff and was taken to Mercy Medical Center-Clinton, where she was examined and released.

Police later recovered a shotgun and a handgun from the office.

In her Feb. 19 petition seeking an order of protection, Erin Pridemore described a conversation she had with her husband during which he asked her if their relationship was over, and she told him it was, stating that she wanted to be by herself.

“He asked me if I realize how serious this was and that there was only a few hours left, and he was going to show me what being by myself was really like,” she wrote.

The couple married in September 2007 in Clinton and has a son born in 2001.

After the order of protection was issued for Erin and their 8-year-old son, police searched Pridemore’s home in Fulton for five firearms believed to be kept there, including a shotgun, a 7-mm rifle with a scope, a .22-caliber rifle and a handgun. Police learned that the firearms had been moved to another home, but Pridemore was charged with obstructing justice and possession of firearm ammunition without a firearm owner’s identification, or FOID, card.

He was released from the Whiteside County Jail after posting 10 percent of a $30,000 bond, and a pre-trial conference was scheduled for April 29.

Pridemore graduated from Clinton High School and was an Army veteran of Operation Desert Storm, serving from 1989 to 1993. He was a former truck driver and worked in construction, according to his obituary.

With the national economy struggling, Gertson said recent shootings in other communities across the nation show some people may be having trouble dealing with stress.

“The way things are going, it could quite possibly get worse before it gets better,” Gertson said.

Shamus Pridemore’s funeral will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at Snell-Zornig Funeral Home in Clinton, with visitation from 4-8 p.m. Thursday. He will be buried with military honors at Rock Island National Cemetery.

 

Office still closed

The Iowa Workforce Development office in Clinton remained closed Tuesday, with a sign on the door giving office visitors a toll-free phone number to call if they needed assistance. The number is 800-JOB-IOWA. Area residents or businesses needing help also can go to workforce offices in Davenport, Maquoketa or Muscatine or contact the agency online at iowaworkforce.org.

Kerry Koonce, a spokeswoman for Iowa Workforce Development, said Tuesday that the Clinton office could be open as early as today. Koonce said she did not know if Iowa Workforce administrators had discussed adding security measures at offices.

 

 

Police officers debriefed

After Monday’s hostage situation, members of the Gateway Area Hazardous Entry and Approach Team, or HEAT, were debriefed at a Clinton hotel to review what went right during the standoff and what could have been done differently.

Clinton Police Capt. Mike Gertson said while police were glad neither the hostage nor any bystanders were injured during the standoff, they were hoping for a better outcome.

“I think the perfect outcome would have been both of them coming out,” Gertson said.

The HEAT team is a tactical response unit made up of officers from the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office and police departments from Clinton, Camanche, DeWitt and Fulton, Ill.

Related

• Police: Standoff gunman in Clinton kills himself
• Iowa Workforce Development to review security procedures