A man is jailed on numerous charges after police said he used a log-splitting tool to beat his way through a door and terrorize his wife and young children in Tyler County.

Howard P. Shriver is facing felony charges of attempted murder, nighttime burglary and violation of a domestic protection order in the county.

The incident happened on Duckworth Ridge Road in the Wilber area, an unincorporated town close to the Doddridge County line. Deputies said the home is on a dead-end lane with only one other house on the street.

Residents called Tyler County 911 at 12:10 a.m. Tuesday to report a possible violation of a domestic violence order. Neighbors said they saw Shriver driving toward a house where his wife and two young children were, according to a news release from the Tyler County Sheriff's Office.

Sheriff Bob Kendle said Shriver appeared to have disabled the telephone by pulling the wires off the outside wall then used a splitting maul – a long-handled ax and hammer tool used for splitting wood – to batter down home's door. Shriver then threatened his wife and children with the tool.

The daughter was able to escape during the incident and ran away from the home to seek help.

Deputies said the mother and son tried to escape in a vehicle, but Shriver used the tool to attack them while they were in the vehicle, disabling it. The woman and son ran away into a field after they saw Shriver leave.

When a deputy arrived, the mother went to the caller's home looking for her daughter. All three victims were reunited unharmed and Shriver was arrested by Shinnston police at 1:38 a.m.

Before deputies initially arrived, a resident had called 911 again and reported hearing what they thought were gunshots from the Shrivers' property. Police said no firearm was found and the sound was believed to be Shriver hitting the car and/or the home with the splitting maul.

The Tyler County Sheriff's office said Shriver has other domestic charges pending and had come to the home after he obtained previous court documents. Kendle said Shriver was going to his wife's house after a judge issued a domestic violence order telling him to have no contact with her or their children a few weeks back.

In addition to the charges he faces in Tyler County, Shriver also faces felony charges in Harrison County, W.Va. Shriver is believed to live in the Fairmont area.

As of Wednesday morning, Shriver was in the North Central Regional Jail in Greenwood. Further charges are pending after the investigation by the Tyler County Sheriff's Office is complete.

Shriver will be arraigned in Tyler County Magistrate's Court, where bond will be set.

In addition to the Tyler County Sheriff's Office, agencies that assisted in Shriver's arrest were the Doddridge County Sheriff's Office, the West Virginia State Police and various agencies from Harrison and Marion counties.