PREBLE COUNTY — An Indiana fugitive wanted on a robbery charge was found hiding in the attic of a home on U.S. 127 near West Manchester on Wednesday night to end a standoff that lasted nearly 8 hours, Preble County Sheriff Mike Simpson said.
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Deputies found the Justin Paul Gabbard, 35, of Richmond, who authorities were told was to be considered armed and dangerous, about 9:30 p.m. and took him into custody, the sheriff said.
Simpson said deputies went to the address about 2 p.m. and attempted to execute an arrest warrant filed in Wayne County, Indiana, for Gabbard. He was accused of robbing someone at gunpoint in Richmond late August.
“We were pretty confident we had the suspect in the house,” the sheriff said Wednesday. “He was not coming to the door.”
The Darke County Special Response Team, which includes deputies from the Preble County Sheriff’s Office, and the Miami County Special Response Team were called to the scene.
After more than seven hours on scene, tear gas was deployed into the residence and Gabbard was taken into custody.
Authorities had information the man had been at the home earlier Wednesday and is either a boyfriend of the woman who lives there “or could be a spouse for all I know,” the sheriff said.
“I think finally, it got to the point where he couldn’t take it any more and deputies determined where he was,” Simpson said when asked about the tear gas, noting, “We took a lot of extra precautions tonight.”
The precautions and patience were called upon because the law enforcement operation also was told Gabbard has been known to wear body armor, the sheriff said.
Gabbard has been booked in the Preble County Jail on the active warrant. Deputies will also seek additional charges of resisting arrest, obstructing official business and inducting panic, Simpson said in a release Thursday.
Lewisburg police shut down four roadways near the home for the entirety of the standoff. US 127 was closed in both directions for more than eight hours Wednesday.
We’ll provide updates as we learn more.
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