Six Hour Standoff in Pateros Wednesday

An armed homeowner in the 600 block of West Ives Street in Pateros started what would be a long standoff Wednesday afternoon after threatening to shoot city workers who were replacing a water meter on a nearby residence.

Okanogan County Sheriff Tony Hawley said 55-year-old David Carpenter refused to exit his residence around noon and told authorities his home was wired with explosives, prompting an evacuation of the area as well as a partial lockdown of the Pateros School District.

"At that point we maintained a perimeter around the residence and kept communication." Hawley explained, "He would come out every so often and communicate with those that were on perimeter. We had negotiators that responded to the location, both from Okanogan County Sheriff's Office and the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, to maintain communication and try to resolve the standoff peacefully."

The six hour standoff ended when Carpenter eventually exited his residence and was taken into custody just before 6pm. Carpenter was booked into the Okanogan County Jail for Felony Threats to Kill.

Authorities later exercised a search warrant on the residence and recovered multiple long-range firearms, but found no explosives. The North Central Washington, Douglas County, and Chelan County Special Response teams all took part in the standoff.