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Deputy defuses tense situation

Jesse Davis | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 12 years, 11 months AGO
by Jesse Davis
| December 7, 2011 5:00 PM

A Missoula County Sheriff’s deputy brought a safe end to a life-threatening situation Monday afternoon.

Deputy Pat Turner, who originally is from Bigfork, disarmed and arrested Ben Michael Williamson after stopping him on Fred’s Lane northwest of Missoula during a Monday afternoon search for the man.

Williamson had fled his wife’s home with his 6-year-old daughter and a gun and was being sought for arrest due to his involvement in a domestic disturbance earlier in the day.

When Turner first received the call, details were sparse.

At the time it was believed Williamson, who reportedly was suicidal, had abducted his daughter. It was later discovered that he had primary custody of the girl and that his wife had sent her with him because she thought it would keep him from doing anything stupid.

“As I was responding, he had just left the residence and was coming down the road,” Turner said. “I recognized the vehicle as the suspect vehicle and immediately saw the little head bobbing next to him in the passenger seat.”

Turner pulled his cruiser in front of Williamson’s truck with his lights on, not wanting the confrontation to turn into a pursuit and endanger the child.

When Williamson stopped, Turner saw him reach over toward his daughter. Based on prior experience, he assumed Williamson was putting his daughter’s seatbelt on.

“He was actually reaching for his handgun, which was in a little plastic case,” Turner said. “As I walked up I could see him fumbling with something in his lap. I found out he was loading the gun.”

Without waiting for the other officers to arrive, Turner approached the truck. He admitted he wasn’t using his head completely. As he walked toward Williamson, the truck door opened, and when Turner rounded the door, he saw Williamson with the gun at chest level, aimed straight at him.

“You better stop,” Williamson told Turner. “Don’t make me do this.”

Turner believed at that moment that he was about to be shot.

“My instinct, of course, was to draw my weapon and kill him, but as that thought crossed my mind I looked across his lap at his 6-year-old looking at me with big, scared eyes,” Turner said. “I decided I’d rather take a bullet than take the chance of killing her.”

Rather than escalate the point-blank standoff, Turner took a step toward the rear of the truck and watched to see if Williamson was going to keep the gun trained on him. He didn’t, and instead slumped against the wheel, letting his hand holding the gun drop so it was aimed at the ground.

At that point, Turner took the gun away from Williamson and handcuffed him as the man sobbed hysterically, saying he wanted to die.

Within seconds, other officers arrived.

Turner had another brief scare when Williamson turned to his daughter and told her: “Why don’t you get out and get in the officer’s car? You don’t want to see what happens next.”

“I thought, ‘Oh god, does he have another weapon?’” Turner said.

It turned out Williamson was only referring to his arrest.

“He admitted later he was going to shoot me,” Turner said. “Looking at his reaction and his mental state, he certainly could have killed me. I think he was wanting to commit suicide by cop. That, of course, is every officer’s worst nightmare.”

Williamson was transported to St. Patrick Hospital for a mental evaluation.

The incident was not Turner’s first brush with danger.

Turner was the officer who shot and apprehended James Martin, also known as James Trujillo, after he shot and paralyzed Missoula Police Officer Bob Heinle on Oct. 21, 1998. Heinle died of complications from his paralysis in February 2010.

“So this is not something totally unfamiliar to me,” Turner said.

Turner’s path from a Bigfork High School graduate to law enforcement officer was anything but usual. He first attended The University of Montana as an art major before finishing at Southwestern University in Dallas, Texas, with a ministerial degree in theology. It’s a career path many people have asked him about.

“The bottom line is it’s easier to stuff and cuff them than to get them through the pearly gates,” Turner said.

Reporter Jesse Davis may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at jdavis@dailyinterlake.com.

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