Man in Ridgeway standoff facing several charges
RIDGEWAY — The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office has released the name of a man involved in a standoff that lasted about 11 hours on Knowlesville Road.
Edward R. Loper, 31, is facing multiple charges after being taken into custody at 2:48 a.m. today.
The Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to 3634 Knowlesville Rd. at 4:46 p.m. on Tuesday with reports of a disturbance, Sheriff Randy Bower said in a news release.
The first arriving law enforcement officers found a large crowd outside the residence and learned a person had been assaulted and mini-14 rifle and a shotgun had been stolen.
Loper went back inside the residence after threatening to kill the people in the front yard, Bower said.
A perimeter was then established by the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office and State Police. The Orleans County Multi-Agency SWAT was then requested to the scene when the law enforcement on the scene were unable to make contact with Loper.
Members of the SWAT Team then took up positions on the perimeter and attempted to contact Loper.
Due to the cold temperature and weather conditions, the SWAT teams from Genesee and Monroe counties were called to the scene to assist.
An Orleans County Sheriff’s investigator and negotiator from the Monroe County Sheriff’s office were able to make contact with Loper. After an hours long phone conversation with Loper, and several tactics used by the SWAT teams on scene, Loper agreed to come out of the residence. He came out of the front door and was taken into custody at 2:48 a.m.
He has been charged with second-degree robbery, second-degree burglary, criminal possession of a weapon, third-degree assault, second-degree menacing and fourth-degree grand larceny.
He was arraigned by Ridgeway Town Justice Joseph Kujawa and was committed to the Orleans County Jail on $50,000 cash bail. He is to appear in Ridgeway Town Court on Dec. 9 at 9 a.m.
Sheriff Bower said the Sheriff’s Office appreciates the work of all the responding law enforcement agencies, fire departments and EMS personnel.
