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Woods Edge standoff ends with arrest after almost 13 hours
A standoff with police that began late Friday night ended peacefully Saturday afternoon in the Woods Edge Subdivision on Greencastle's southeast side.
The nearly 13-hour incident ended with the apprehension of Wesley Nathan January, 25, Greencastle, on a Putnam County arrest warrant.
The incident began to unfold at approximately 10:07 p.m. Friday when City Police officers received a tip that a wanted person -- January -- had just been seen at 25 Cottonwood Ct. in the Woods Edge Subdivision near the intersection of Zinc Mill Road and Martinsville Street.
Following up on that tip, Capt. Charles Inman and Reserve Officer Billy Wallace set up surveillance of the residence at 25 Cottonwood Ct.
Earlier in the week Greencastle officers had received confirmation that an arrest warrant had been issued for January on multiple charges, including two Level 6 felonies.
Issued June 1 by Putnam Superior Court Judge Denny Bridges, the warrant involves the Level 6 felonies of domestic battery and dealing in marijuana, along with two Class misdemeanors, possession of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia.
While on surveillance, Capt. Inman and Reserve Officer Wallace observed a white GMC Envoy pull up to the residence in question. Capt. Inman had also received information that the white GMC Envoy was the last known vehicle in which January had been seen.
Inman and other city officers thus conducted a traffic stop on the GMC Envoy after it left the residence. However, January was not in the vehicle.
But after the driver of the GMC Envoy admitted to police that January was indeed in the Cottonwood Court residence, multiple officers from the Greencastle Police Department, Putnam County Sheriff's Department and the Indiana State Police set up a perimeter around the home.
The usually quiet neighborhood was soon awash in police cars and other emergency vehicles, the normal late-night and early-morning silence punctured periodically by the sound of a police bullhorn.
GPD Det. Sgt. Mike Collins subsequently arrived on the scene in an attempt to negotiate with January, trying to get him to come out of the residence.
As that was unfolding, officers observed a male leaving the residence on foot with a pitbull dog. Officers stopped the individual but determined that he was not January.
The individual, however, advised police that January was the only one left in the residence, and that he was in possession of a handgun and had reportedly said he was not coming out of the house on his own.
The standoff never involved a hostage situation.
Although Det. Collins kept attempting to negotiate with January, the suspect refused to come out.
After negotiations ceased without success, the Indiana State Police SWAT team was contacted and responded to the scene.
Meanwhile, Capt. Inman was able to get a signed search warrant for the residence so officers could enter the home and search for January.
After the State Police SWAT team arrived on the scene, its hostage negotiators attempted to make contact with January, but after several tries the Greencastle man still refused to talk with negotiators.
After exhausting all attempts to make contact with January, the State Police SWAT team made entry into the residence in an attempt to locate the suspect, conducting a thorough search of the building both upstairs and downstairs.
The SWAT team then moved to the garage, conducting a search of the attic over the garage, where they finally located January and took the suspect into custody without incident.
January was transported to the Putnam County Jail and booked in on the arrest warrant.
A full report will be submitted to the Putnam County Prosecutor's Office for review, GPD Chief Tom Sutherlin reported.
"The Greencastle Police Department would like to thank the agencies who assisted at the scene," Sutherlin said, listing the Putnam County Sheriff's Department, Indiana State Police and ISP SWAT team, Cloverdale Police Department, Greencastle Fire Department and Putnam County Operation Life.