Man charged with home invasion in connection with Madison County SWAT standoff

Madison County prosecutors have filed felony charges against an Alton man accused of forcing his way into a home, threatening a woman with a handgun and sparking a hourslong standoff that ended with his arrest, authorities said.

Bilejo W. Henson, 50, was charged with home invasion, aggravated unlawful restraint and aggravated unlawful possession of weapons, along with domestic battery and interfering with the reporting of domestic violence, the Madison County Sheriff’s Department said.

He remained in custody at the Madison County Jail.

The incident began about 7:19 a.m. Thursday, April 2, when Madison County sheriff’s deputies responded to the 5000 block of Fosterburg Road for a domestic disturbance call. The victim escaped, but Henson remained inside the residence and was armed with a handgun, the sheriff’s department said.

The sheriff’s office issued a public safety alert at 9:56 a.m. warning the subject was armed and inside the home, and a portion of Fosterburg Road was shut down during the incident.

Deputies, sheriff’s detectives, Illinois State Police troopers and ILEAS SWAT members remained on scene for several hours attempting to take Henson into custody. After about five hours, he was arrested without incident, authorities said.

After executing a search warrant and conducting interviews, investigators said Henson entered the home without permission, threatened the victim with a handgun, took her phone when she attempted to call 911 and battered her before she was able to escape.