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An hours-long standoff between police and a man suspected of domestic assault ended without incident on Monday morning, as the suspect surrendered to officers.
Powell police initially attempted …
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An hours-long standoff between police and a man suspected of domestic assault ended without incident on Monday morning, as the suspect surrendered to officers.
Powell police initially attempted to arrest the man around 1:30 a.m., believing that he had assaulted a woman in the home, said Police Chief Jim Rhea. The woman left the residence, Rhea said, but the man — who’s identified in police logs as 62-year-old Greg Hilliard — refused to come out of his South Gilbert Street home.
The man became armed at one point, Rhea said, and while he didn’t make any direct threats or point the weapon at anyone, the man made comments “that prevented us from approaching the house and entering.”
The incident stretched out over nearly seven hours, with Powell officers receiving assistance from both the Cody Police Department and the Wyoming Highway Patrol. They blocked off public access to the 400 block of Gilbert Street to help contain the scene. As nearby residents woke up, officers directed them away from the area, Rhea said.
Powell police also posted a notice to Facebook asking people to stay away and notified Park County School District 1. Superintendent Jay Curtis said the district gave a heads up to all Southside Elementary School staff and parents — relaying that police had contained the situation and that it posed no danger to the school.
Ultimately, “through hostage negotiations, … after a search warrant had been obtained, we were able to convince the individual to exit the residence,” Rhea said.
The man was taken into custody around 8:15 a.m., the chief said.
Police logs and jail records say Hilliard was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor counts of domestic assault and reckless endangering, though Park County prosecutors will have the final say on what charges are filed. As of Monday afternoon, Hilliard’s first court appearance had not yet been scheduled.
Rhea made a point of expressing gratitude to Cody police and the highway patrol for helping to resolve “a dangerous situation.”
“We all came together and worked flawlessly together to de-escalate this without any harm to anybody,” he said.
