Moses Lake man arrested after standoff near Soap Lake
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 years, 7 months AGO
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | April 22, 2021 1:00 AM
SOAP LAKE — A 40-year-old Moses Lake man was booked into the Grant County Jail following a three-hour standoff Tuesday night at a home near Soap Lake.
Robert Gwinn was booked on possession of a stolen vehicle, residential burglary and resisting arrest. No one was injured, according to a Grant County Sheriff’s Office social media post.
At about 2 p.m., a sheriff’s deputy clocked a motorcycle traveling 87 mph, which was later determined to be stolen. Gwinn was the driver of the motorcycle. The deputy followed him from state Route 28, north of Ephrata, to Road B.5 Northeast at a home about five miles southeast of Soap Lake. The deputy saw Gwinn stop at a trailer next to the home.
Gwinn allegedly reached for what looked like a knife handle, the post stated. He ran inside the trailer, ignoring commands to stop and not reach for the knife.
“After several minutes, another man came out of the trailer wearing the same helmet and clothes as Gwinn and claiming to be the driver of the motorcycle,” the post stated. “The other man does not fit Gwinn’s physical characteristics, has long blond hair and Gwinn’s clothing was too big for him. That man was detained and questioned.”
Gwinn, armed with a knife, climbed out of the trailer window a few minutes later and ran into a home at 20434 Road B.5 Northeast.
“The home’s occupant escaped and was not injured,” the post stated.
Gwinn then barricaded himself inside the home for about three hours. He ignored negotiators and commands from the Moses Lake Regional Tactical Response Team to come out of the house. Tactical response team members eventually fired tear gas into the house, and Gwinn exited the residence at about 7:45 p.m. He was arrested without further incident.
Two women who lived in the trailer allegedly attempted to interfere with the deputies’ efforts to arrest Gwinn. Delia Vasquez, 40, and Betsy Peraza, 35, were booked into jail on obstructing law enforcement.
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