SPRINGFIELD -- On Wednesday night, Effingham County deputies were dispatched to a home in the 100 block of Sand Pine Court in reference to a domestic assault. The domestic assault occurred after details came to light about several counts of alleged child molestation committed by 48-year-old James Daryl Thayer. Thayer barricaded himself inside his home with a gun and refused to comply with deputies' instructions. After a brief standoff, deputies were able to encourage Thayer to come out of the home without further incident. Thayer is a registered sex offender after being arrested and convicted of child molestation in 1992. He served eight years in prison and was released in 2000. The Effingham County Sex Registry Unit was monitoring him. Thayer, however, did not have any restrictions on his residency or employment due to a law passed in 2003. The Effingham County Sheriff’s Office Investigative Division is probing the latest allegations and expects to charge Thayer formally on Monday. Thayer was transported to the Effingham County Jail and is currently charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.