An Austin man who caused police to barricade two Austin streets a few weeks ago pleaded not guilty to one of his charges Thursday in Mower County court.

Tom Heuangsayaseng, 30, of Austin pleaded not guilty to being a violent felon in possession of a firearm, a felony.

In a related case, he also appeared in court Thursday on charges of felony domestic assault, felony third-degree assault and gross misdemeanor theft, but he has not pleaded to those charges.

The charges stem from an incident where he caused Austin police to barricade a part of 10th Street Northeast March 31 and was then arrested when the Special Incident Response Team (SIRT) was called to 12th Avenue Southwest on April 1.

On March 31, officers spoke with a witness at the 1600 block of 12th Street Southwest who reported a woman had been assaulted by Heuangsayaseng. While responding, police with guns drawn blocked off the 600 block of 10th Street Northeast.

The victim allegedly went to the witness’s house and her face was bleeding and swollen.

The witness knew the victim had been assaulted by Heuangsayaseng previously and expressed concern for the victim and her children. She also believed Heuangsayaseng had a gun.

Officers found the victim at her residence and saw she was injured on her face, neck, arms and legs. Heuangsayaseng was not at the house, but officers found a black pistol holder on the kitchen counter.

The victim told officers she was out with a friend the night before and Heuangsayaseng came to her house for money, which he later took along with her cell phone.

She woke up her children for school that morning and told them to tell their teacher she was assaulted by Heuangsayaseng. They couldn’t call 911 for help because he took her cell phone and the home’s cordless phone. The victim said Heuangsayaseng hit and kicked her, causing her to lose consciousness.

Police later found Heuangsayaseng on the 200 block of 12th Avenue Southwest on April 1.

After watching a man believed to be Heuangsayaseng enter the home, officers secured the exterior of the home and called in the SIRT team.

After a few people denied Heuangsayaseng was in the home, one person confirmed it before SIRT members entered the home and arrested him. They recovered a .32-caliber pistol in a black duffle bag.

His pre-trial is scheduled for Aug. 12 and the jury trial is scheduled for Aug. 22. Charges have not yet been brought against the people suspected of hiding him.

He also has two other court cases from 2015 for domestic assault and third-degree sale of drug. He pleaded guilty to both charges.