Axe-wielding man torches home after hours-long standoff
By Kaleb Clark
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ASHLAND, Oregon (KDRV) — A man armed with an axe barricaded himself inside a vacant home on Church Street and threatened to blow up the house, leading to a hours-long standoff that ended with the suspect setting the building on fire.
Officers from the Ashland Police Department responded to 137 Church Street on March 28 for a report of a trespasser. When they arrived, they found a man inside who refused to come out and claimed he had firearms and explosives. The man said the only way he would leave was if officers used fatal force against him and threatened to set the house on fire with explosives if they tried to remove him.
Police called in the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team while officers tried to talk the man into surrendering. Negotiators continued working to resolve the situation peacefully after the SWAT team arrived.
Officers applied for and received a search warrant. Because of the ongoing threats to burn down the house, which posed a major risk to the neighborhood, SWAT team members moved in to make contact with the suspect around 5 p.m.
As the SWAT team approached, the suspect used accelerants to set the house on fire. He then climbed onto the roof, where SWAT team members used a ladder to reach him and take him into custody.
Ashland Fire & Rescue crews were already staged at the scene and quickly worked to put out the fire. The house sustained heavy damage because of the accelerants used to start the blaze.
The suspect was taken into custody with significant burn injuries and is being treated at an area hospital. He remains under guard and will be taken to the Jackson County Jail after his release.
Police identified the suspect as Fedish Llewellyn Ford, 41 years old. He will be charged with arson, burglary, trespassing and criminal mischief.
The Talent and Phoenix Police Departments, along with the Jackson County District Attorney’s office, assisted Ashland police during the incident.
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