East Wenatchee Man Jailed Following Knife Threats, Hours-Long Officer Standoff

A Douglas County man is in jail for staging an hours-long standoff with police after allegedly threatening a man with a knife this week.

The East Wenatchee Police Department says officers responded to reports of a weapons violation at a convenience store in the 0 block of 9th Street Northeast at around 9 p.m. on Tuesday, and arrived at the location to learn that the reporting party had been threatened.

The victim reportedly told police he followed the suspect's vehicle to a nearby residence after the threats were made, and later identified the suspect through a photo lineup arranged by detectives.

Get our free mobile app

Officers then attempted to make contact with the suspect, 65-year-old Juan Negrete Romero, at his residence in East Wenatchee, but he reportedly barricaded himself inside and refused officers commands to surrender.

The resulting standoff lasted until around 1:55 a.m., when Romero finally complied and was taken into custody without further incident.

Romero was booked into the Chelan County Regional Justice Center for felony harassment and possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver.

Investigators say a search warrant was also executed at Romero's residence, where evidence connected to the case was seized.