By The Hutch News staff
DODGE CITY - A four-hour standoff ended without injury after a man said he had strapped explosives to himself and demanded to see his ex-wife.
According to a press release from Dodge City Police Chief John Ball, the Thursday night incident took place at Warehouse City U-Stor-It, 609 S. 14th. Officers responded to a report of battery and aggravated assault and found a man holed up in an old bus that was parked at the business.
The bus had been converted into a camper and was occupied.
A 40-year-old Dodge City man, James D. Watkins, allegedly forced the occupant out of the bus at knifepoint, then barricaded himself inside.
Watkins allegedly "took possession of a number of firearms and ammunition located in the bus," according to the release. He also demanded to have his ex-wife delivered to the scene and claimed to have strapped explosives to his body and would detonate them if he was approached.
Negotiators were able to talk Watkins into surrendering at 12:15 a.m. Friday. Officers did not find any explosives.
Watkins's ex-wife never came to the scene, Ball said.
The case has been sent to the Ford County Attorney's office for consideration of charges.
The Hutchinson News Online Edition