The longest and possibly most bizarre stand-off in American history has come to an end.

John Joe Gray, from Trinidad, near Dallas, Texas, was arrested in 1999 for biting a police officer after the cop found he was carrying high-powered rifles without a license during a traffic stop.

Gray paid his bond and has since refused to go to court, hiding inside his 47-acre property for 16 years and vowing to shoot any officer of the law who tries to make him leave.

The bearded grandfather, his children, grandchildren and friends have armed themselves with pistols and rifles and patrolled their grounds ever since - with the county sheriff choosing not to send cops in for fear of them being killed.

But the unusual stalemate has finally come to an end after the authorities decided they just could not be bothered to wait for Gray to emerge any longer.

John Joe Gray (pictured with his son Timothy, daughter Ruth and granddaughter Jessica) has refused to leave his property since his arrest for assaulting a police officer in 1999 - but the charges have finally been dropped

'Howdy, now git!' Gray has been hiding inside his 47-acre property for 16 years and vowing to shoot any officer of the law who tries to make him leave

Gray, his children, grandchildren and friends have armed themselves with pistols and rifles and patrolled their grounds ever since

According to WFAA, the former district attorney dropped the charge of assaulting a peace officer in December 2014 - but for reasons unknown this message was not passed on to the county sheriff or even the Gray family.

Gray, now 67, told ABC News in 2000 that he was prepared to kill officers who tried to arrest him.

'If they come out after us, bring extra body bags. Those who live by the sword will die by the sword,' he said.

He later told National Geographic: 'We've never shot no one yet. But they know, if they come on us, they'll be surprised what's going to happen to them.'

Henderson County Sheriff Ray Nutt was told this week that the siege that never really took off was over.

Nutt said: 'Joe Gray has been in prison out there himself, in my opinion, for 14 years.'

Dangerous: Gray, now 67, said in 2000 that he was prepared to kill officers who tried to arrest him

Gray (pictured with his granddaughter Jessica) is now finally free to leave his property without fearing he might be arrested

He welcomed the charges being dropped, saying it took 'pressure' off police and the Gray family.

'There's always been the potential for something bad happening.

'Being a peace officer, you do have some emotions - that you would like to see him brought before court and the case tried - but on the other hand, was it worth all that it might have cost to do that?'

In late 1999, Gray was in a car pulled over for speeding in nearby Anderson County.

State troopers saw high-powered rifles and anti-government materials in the car, but Gray refused to get out. When the troopers tried to remove him from the car, he allegedly bit one trooper's hands and tried to grab his gun.

After his arrest Gray showed up in court for a bail hearing, when Anderson County District Attorney Doug Lowe told the judge he feared Gray was a major threat because troopers found diagrams of plans to blow up a Dallas overpass.

The family have been living behind a fence without running water and electricity, challenging authorities to arrest Gray for the third-degree felony warrant since that hearing.

Hand-drawn warning signs litter the outskirts of the grounds, where the family grow their own fruit and vegetables to live off.

Gray, who used to work in construction, claimed he did not ever feel like a prisoner 'living out here and following God's laws'.

Despite this, he did appear to be tempted to leave his property in 2000 after actor Chuck Norris met him and offered to get him free legal representation. However, Gray turned down the offer.

Gray had boasted that he will never leave, but finally - after 16 years - he might just venture beyond his garden gate.

Meanwhile, in Oregon, the stand-off at a wildlife refuge over grazing rights on federal land goes on.