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August 24, 2010

Authorities arrest man after hunt, standoff

DEBI DESILVER TERRY The Express-Star

— A shots fired call in the Blanchard area related to a report of domestic abuse led law enforcement on a manhunt Sunday that ended up in a standoff in Grady County.

Cody Taft, 21, Blanchard, was arrested and booked into the McClain County Detention Center on complaints of domestic abuse and shooting with intent to kill.

The only injuries reported were personal assault injuries suffered by the abuse victim, said Blanchard Chief of Police Tom Linn. Taft did shoot windows out of a vehicle, the chief said, although initially it was thought shots had been fired toward the victim's family.

"We initially had some conflicting information as to whether the person (Taft) was still inside the house or had possibly left," Linn said. "Since part of the call was that shots had been fired, we called the Chickasha Police Department to loan us two body bunkers (protective shields) to make entry into the house."

Taft had fled that residence and Linn said officers continued to develop additional information and fanned out to other possible locations to find the suspect. Two homes were searched before Taft was found at the third location.

Once he was located, Linn said he called for assistance from the Grady County Sheriff's Office Special Response Team.

"We were called for assistance at about 9 a.m. Sunday," said Grady County Sheriff Art Kell. "The suspect had ended up east of County Line Road, which put him in Grady County. Apparently he had gone to people he knew – a family of four – and would not come out. He said he wouldn't be taken alive and made threats toward the family. A negotiator ended up talking the guy out of the house." Kell said the standoff at the Grady County home lasted about two hours.

The negotiator is a Reserve Officer with the Blanchard Police Department, Linn said. He is retired from the Oklahoma City Police Department and was a lieutenant over the Negotiations Unit.

Law enforcement agencies involved in the incident Sunday include the Blanchard Police Department, Dibble Police Department, Newcastle Police Department, Chickasha Police Department, McClain County Sheriff's Office and Grady County Sheriff's Office.

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