Man in custody after day long standoff

UPDATE 4:40 p.m. Bonneville County Sheriff’s deputies have arrested 28-year-old Justin Derek Ferguson of Idaho Falls after a day-long standoff at the Quality Inn in downtown Idaho Falls. The incident began when deputies attempted to serve Ferguson a warrant for failure to register as a sex offender and a felony parole violation warrant.

Ferguson’s girlfriend was in the hotel room with him and he prevented her from leaving. Deputies were able to get Ferguson to let her go after several hours.

Negotiators attempted to talk Ferguson out of the room. He threatened suicide.

At one point, when Ferguson didn’t respond, officers breached a wall where they found him barricaded in the bathroom.

Officers used gas to get him out of the bathroom. Ferguson was taken into custody and transported to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center for medical clearance before being booked into the Bonneville County Jail.

Ferguson told deputies he had a firearm; however, the sheriff’s office says he did not have one. Streets around the hotel were expected to be opened by 5 p.m.

Bonneville County Sheriff Paul Wilde was please by the response from the variety of law enforcement agenices. Those inlcuded the sheriff’s office, IFPD, Idaho Probation and Parole and SWAT units from both IFPD and the sheriff’s office. He said all of this could have been avoided if Ferguson had cooperated with law enforcement.

“The issue that I see with this is that he’s created a lot of time and effort and a lot of damage that doesn’t need to be done,” Wilde said. “He wasn’t going to get hurt if he came out, he was going to be taken care of. He would’ve been taken to jail. He would’ve been in a bunk and ready for dinner. They’re feeding here in just a few minutes.”

Guests were held back until employees could clean up the hotel.

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ORIGINAL:

The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office, Idaho Falls Police, and Idaho State Police, have blocked River Parkway and Lindsay Boulevard for an active investigation at the Quality Inn and Suites in downtown Idaho Falls.

The nature of the activity is not known and further details are not yet available.

Local News 8 and Channel 3 Eyewitness News have a reporter on the scene and will pass on new information as it becomes available.