GRAY – An armed woman was taken into custody Friday afternoon after holding police at bay outside her Depot Street home for an hour.

Police said the 36-year-old woman refused to come out of her home when officers went there to escort her husband as he retrieved some items shortly after 2 p.m.

Knowing that the woman was carrying a handgun, Cumberland County Sheriff’s deputies kept their distance and blocked off a long section of Depot Street.

The home sits back roughly 100 yards from the roadway. Police stationed themselves near the end of the driveway and attempted to contact the woman over the phone and through other means.

They also called in a negotiator.

Several times during the ordeal, it appeared the standoff would end quickly and quietly. At about 2:45 p.m., the woman told police she would come outside the house to talk provided she could keep her gun inside a purse.

The negotiator told her that was not acceptable. He asked her to come outside with nothing in her hands and to walk halfway down the driveway so they could speak.

Ten minutes later, the woman agreed again to come outside but said she wanted to finish her cigarette. The negotiator agreed. Shortly after, the woman came outside with a can of soda in one hand and a cigarette in the other.

Police declined to identify the woman. They said she was not charged in the incident but was taken for a mental evaluation. No shots were fired during the standoff.

“She’s fine. She’s just despondant,” said Cumberland County Sheriff’s Capt. Jeff Davis. “It’s always good when these things turn out this way.”