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Tuesday morning standoff ends peacefully in Gillespie
Members of the ILEAS SWAT team stand behind a tactical vehicle moments before the suspect voluntarily surrendered himself. (Photo/Brad Hiatt)
A 48-year-old Gillespie man was arrested for domestic battery after a four-hour long standoff with law enforcement Tuesday morning.
According to Gillespie Police Chief Jared DePoppe, Carter J. Davidson of Gillespie was arrested in the 600 block of Plum Street in Gillespie and transported to the Macoupin County Jail. He was arrested around 11:15 a.m. following a four-hour standoff that started at approximately 7:15 a.m. Tuesday.
Chief DePoppe said an officer with the Gillespie Police Department was sent to the address after a concerned citizen informed police that there was an incident taking place and police arrived to find a distraught female outside the residence. The woman advised that Davidson and a juvenile were inside the residence and Davidson refused to leave.
“[Davidson] talked to our officer but would not allow the officer inside and would not come to the door,” DePoppe told the BenGil Post. “Then the communication with the individual stopped completely.”
After the communication ended, Chief DePoppe said Gillespie Police Department contacted the Macoupin County Sheriff’s Office, Illinois State Police and ILEAS SWAT unit to help resolve the incident peacefully. Law enforcement also made contact with the Gillespie School District, which is two blocks away from the residence, to advise them of the incident.
The police established a perimeter and used ILEAS SWAT team to deescalate the incident. Neighbors reported hearing negotiators talking to Davidson through a loud speaker. Negotiators were able to quickly resolve the incident safely.
“[Davidson] voluntarily gave himself up through negotiation,” DePoppe described. “There were no injuries to the suspect or officers.”
Joe Tieman, Superintendent of Gillespie CUSD 7 Schools, said at no time were any students in danger although the schools were on a modified lockdown.
“I was notified at approximately 8:30 this morning that a law enforcement issue near the campus was serious in nature and advised to implement a modified lock down,” Tieman announced by an automated call. The modified lock down prevented any students or staff from exiting the building and prevented high school students from leaving campus for their lunch hour. Tieman said the lockdown was lifted around 11:30 a.m.
DePoppe credited the peaceful resolution to a number of agencies and individuals including Detective Gerdes of the Gillespie Police Department, officers of the Gillespie Police Department, Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System (ILEAS) SWAT team, Macoupin County Sheriff’s Office and Illinois State Police.
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Another major winter storm is forecasted to blanket the BenGil area in heavy rains, flooding and snowfall starting Wednesday night through Thursday.
The mixture of precipitation and rapidly changing weather likely will produce the potential for sudden icing on roads, with high winds leading to blowing snow and reduced visibility.
“The Illinois Department of Transportation’s snow-and-ice teams will be prepared and out in force, but the public needs to be ready for conditions to change quickly and worsen if they are out on the roads,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman. “As always during periods of extreme weather, the safest option is to postpone any unnecessary trips and stay home. If you must travel, prepare for very slow and potentially hazardous conditions. And please slow down around our plows and other emergency vehicles, giving them plenty of room to do their jobs.”
The National Weather Service is predicting a wintry mix of precipitation to start with thunderstorms and heavy rain in much of the state this evening, converting to freezing rain overnight before turning to snow Thursday morning. In addition to localized flooding, ice and sleet accumulations are likely, creating extremely slippery surfaces and slick conditions.
Due to the rainy conditions ahead of temperatures falling overnight, the effectiveness of pretreating and salting surfaces in advance of significant snowfall will be limited. The public should anticipate icy conditions even when roads appear clear and greatly reduce speeds.
“As the Illinois State Police plans to take on the unpredictable Illinois weather, we would like to remind motorists to do their part in keeping the roads a safe place,” said Illinois State Police Director Brendan F. Kelly. “ISP, alongside IDOT and other agencies, will be working in hazardous weather conditions. Please remember to slow down, stay vigilant and move over for ANY vehicle on the side of the road.”
Statewide, IDOT has available more than 1,800 trucks and equipment to plow, treat roads and respond to weather emergencies. If you encounter a plow or any maintenance vehicle during your travels, please slow down, increase your following distance and remain patient. Do not attempt to pass – conditions in front of the plow will be worse than behind it.
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Police are investigating the death of a Bunker Hill woman who was found dead at the end of her driveway near the roadway on Monday morning, January 31.
Nancy Blycker, 91, had multiple injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police. The Macoupin County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call to the 2900 block of Wood Hill Lane around 7:40 a.m. on Monday.
The initial suspicion was homicide, according to a release by the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis who said approximately 20 investigators were working the investigation, but the autopsy contradicted that suspicion.
The Major Case Squad said on Tuesday it is “highly unlikely” Blycker’s death was the “result of homicidal means.”
The Major Case Squad turned the case back over to the Macoupin County Sheriff’s Department. The official cause of death is pending further lab analysis.
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The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for the BenGil area, southwestern Illinois, and the St. Louis area.
The warning was issued early Tuesday taking effect at midnight tonight until noon on Thursday, February 3 calling for a “wet, heavy” snow. The forecast also calls for ice prompting a warning about possible power outages.
“All indications continue to point to a disruptive, impactful, and dangerous winter storm impacting the region starting late tonight and lasting through Thursday night,” the National Weather Service said in its Area Forecast Discussion.
The BenGil area is expected to receive heavy mixed precipitation including snow accumulations between 6 and 10 inches, sleet accumulations around three-quarters of an inch, and ice accumulations around two-tenths of an inch. Wind gusts will be as high as 35 mph on Thursday.
The storm is expected to start with rain most of the day today before transitioning into a mixture of freezing rain and/or sleet Tuesday night, then all snow Wednesday morning or as late as Wednesday afternoon continuing until about noon on Thursday.
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