Early morning hostage situation results in veteran's arrest

Ian Long

LINTON -- A Linton man, who is believed to be a military veteran, took his three children hostage early Friday morning, setting up a nearly nine-hour standoff with police that began at about 3:25 a.m.

Ian Long, 38, was taken into custody about 1 p.m. without incident.

"The situation ended with no shots fired with no injuries," Indiana State Police Public Information Officer Curt Durnil, from the Bloomington Post told the Greene County Daily World.

Two children were safely released at about 11 a.m.

Previously, at about 6 a.m., a 10-year-old male child was released when he was sent out of the house at 79 SE 3rd St., with a two-way radio to give to police.

Long, who recently moved to Linton from Sparta, Wis., is reported to suffer from post traumatic stress syndrome following military duty.

"We are not able to disclose where Long was transported to at this time," Durnil stated early Friday afternoon after the standoff ended.

ISP crime scene investigators and detectives were gathering evidence at the hostage standoff site Friday afternoon.

The situation allegedly stemmed from an altercation between Long and another man early Friday morning in Linton.

"When Linton police department officers came to Ian Long's residence to speak to him about it, he refused to speak to officers. That chain of events started sometime in the 3 a.m. hour," Durnil said. "Of the three kids that were in the residence, a 10-year-old male was sent out to give police a two-way radio during the 6 a.m. hour. Officers were able to secure that boy and would not allow him to return to the house."

Members of the Indiana State Police Tactical SWAT team converged closer to the residence at 79 S.E. 3rd Street in Linton where a man took his two children hostage Friday morning and refused to exit on police commands. The situation started about 3:30 a.m.

Durnil said officers heard shots fired inside the residence about 7 a.m.

"The remaining two children - unknown ages, young teens - came out of the house safely just after 11 a.m." Durnil reported.

Negotiators were able to get Long to come out of the one-story house safely and surrender to police.

The situation started about 3:25 a.m. when the Greene County Sheriff's Department received a call about the incident.

The Indiana State Police Tactical SWAT team arrived about 8 a.m. and set up a perimeter of heavily armed officers dressed in camo-colored gear.