An attempt by police to serve felony capias warrants on two Paw Paw men at a Pacific Street residence on Monday, May 26 ended in a standoff and additional charges against both men.
The men, Dalton M. Ginevan, 20, and James M. Flint, 23, had already fled the residence aft 7:30 p.m. on the night of the incident. They were believed to be en route to an abandoned house located in the 2200 block of Youngblood Road, according to a criminal complaint filed in Morgan County Magistrate Court by Deputy B.K. Knotts with Morgan County Sheriff’s Department.
Law enforcement set up a perimeter around the Youngblood Road house, commanding its occupants to come out every 15 minutes, for eight hours until a search warrant was issued.
At 8 a.m., officers made forcible entry, finding two medium-to large dogs in the living area with no food or water. Animal control was called.
A secondary search showed a trap door through a false wall in the attic. Additional commands for the occupants to surrender went unheeded, according to the criminal complaint.
After two rounds of chemical munitions yielded no results, a third search was conducted. Police then discovered a second trap door, through which the men had dropped back to the first attic.
Making their way down the ladder under threat of pepper spray, the men resisted arrest and attempted to flee, according to the criminal complaint.
Flint was arrested and charged with fleeing, capias, obstructing, and animal cruelty.
Ginevan was arrested and charged with capias, and obstructing an officer.
Both men are being held without bond on felony charges at Eastern Regional Jail.
