Police: Kansas standoff ends with man arrested, explosive devices found in home near school
One man was taken into custody after a 12-hour standoff that involved multiple Kansas law enforcement agencies.
On Monday, Cherryvale officers went to a home in the 400 block of E. 4th Street in Cherryvale to investigate an accusation that the occupant had gone into a convenience store and left without paying, according to the release. Police also learned of social media posts where the man had made “suicidal/homicidal statements,” the release said.
A Cherryvale police officer at the residence saw the man fire two shots in the air and run into the home. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team was called and arrived around 8 p.m., according to the release.
Over the next several hours, officers and SWAT teams from the Coffeyville, Pratt County, Kansas Highway Patrol and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation came in to assist in getting the man out of the house.
Negotiations continued until around 8 a.m. Tuesday, when the KBI SWAT team entered the home and found the man in a bedroom, awake but apparently fatigued. The man said he had taken a sleeping medication, the release said.
The man’s house sits near an elementary and middle school. Montgomery County sheriff Ron Wade called USD 447 to cancel classes due to the standoff.
A social media post from USD 447 said all schools were closed Tuesday, March 28. The school district did not elaborate further on why schools were closed.
Investigators swept the house and found what appeared to be explosives in the room where they found the man. A bomb squad was called in and determined the explosives were improvised explosive devices, according to the news release. The IEDs were taken and disarmed.
The man, identified as Aaron E. Whittley, was taken to the Labette Health ER in Parsons, Kansas. He was later released and booked into jail on suspicion of two counts of criminal threat, the release said.
The case was handed over to the Montgomery County DA’s office.
