A warrant execution turned into a long, multi-department investigation, which even involved the FBI on Monday, as authorities dealt with an hours-long standoff that left one man dead.
According to Yates County Sheriff Ron Spike deputies received an order to execute a Supreme Court Arrest Warrant for failure to comply with psychiatric treatment issued out of Chemung County.
The individual had failed to appear in court, according to Spike.
The man had firearms and was barricaded inside his residence on Bossard Road in the Town of Barrington. The Yates County Sheriff’s Office requested mutual aid from the Ontario County Sheriff’s Office’s Emergency Response Team and the FBI.
Deputies from Ontario County were sworn in as emergency deputies for Yates County.
An investigator negotiated for the man’s peaceful surrender for hours on the phone, which started at 7 a.m. on Monday. A command post was established at the Six Corners area near the county line.
The barricaded door had to be forcibly breached by the ERT with special FBI equipment, and while ERT members were searching the house’s main floor – it appeared that the man had rigged a gasoline fire to start that spread rapidly – driving the ERT members out of the house.
That fire began around 2:30 p.m. – seven hours after incident began.
The Dundee Fire Department with mutual aid from Himrod and Tyrone responded to the scene. The fire was extinguished, but around 4:15 p.m. a dead body was discovered inside the home.
Spike says preliminary investigation appears to reveal a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Yates County Coroner Brian Champlain responded, and the body was ordered transported to the Monroe County Medical Examiner for autopsy to determine cause of death.
The name of the deceased is not being released at this time due to identification and notification of relatives.
The cause of the fire will be determined by the Yates County Fire Investigation Team and the Dundee Fire Department.
Sheriff Spike thanked all law enforcement for their professionalism and assistance throughout the day – and thanked first responders, Medic 55, Dundee firefighters, and Office of Emergency Management officials who assisted as well.
