Suspect arrested after nine-hour standoff - Dodge City, KS - Dodge City Daily Globe
Suspect arrested after nine-hour standoff
By ERIC SWANSON
Daily Globe
Posted Jul 15, 2008 @ 11:12 AM
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DODGE CITY —
After a nine-hour standoff with authorities, a Dodge City man was arrested early Monday morning on an active warrant charging him with failing to appear on charges of second-degree sexual abuse.
Dodge City police tracked Arturo Arvizo to Room 104 of the Travelodge Motel, 1510 W. Wyatt Earp Blvd., at about 10 p.m. Sunday, according to a news release from the police department. Arvizo had an active warrant for his arrest out of Decatur County, Iowa, where he used to live.
Officers surrounded the motel room and called for Arvizo to come out, but he said he was armed and refused to leave the room, according to the news release. During the discussion, authorities learned that Arvizo's girlfriend was in the room with him.
Police Lt. Craig Mellecker said authorities are not releasing the woman's name because she is not currently facing any charges.
The police department's Special Operations Response Team and crisis negotiators were summoned to try and take Arvizo into custody, and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation High Risk Warrant Team was called to the scene to assist after several hours of negotiation proved unsuccessful.
Negotiations broke off at about 4 a.m. Monday when Arvizo stopped talking with the negotiators for some reason, Mellecker said.
"He just refused to pick up the phone and talk to us, and he refused to come to the door," Mellecker said.
He said Arvizo also refused to let his girlfriend out of the room.
Negotiators later broke out a window at the front of the motel room and placed a throw phone inside the room, Mellecker said. When that occurred, Arvizo's girlfriend removed the items that had been used to block the door and emerged from the room.
Arvizo came out of the room at about 7 a.m. and was taken into custody without incident.
Mellecker said authorities talked to the woman at one point and determined that she was not being held against her will.
Reach Eric Swanson at (620) 408-9917 or e-mail him at
eric.swanson@dodgeglobe.com.