A Portsmouth family came home to an unexpected situation on Saturday. There was a car parked in their garage. Having small children with them, they wisely contacted 911 and backed out of their driveway.
After responding to the incident, Portsmouth Police determined that not only was there a strange car in the garage, but an intruder had also been located. One officer attempted to detain him at gunpoint. He retreated into the home, resulting in a barricade situation.
Due to the man’s reputation, law enforcement immediately took a defensive approach, calling for backup and surrounding the residence. The home is situated on a steep hillside, so officers set up in positions that gave them cover since the suspect was believed to be armed.
Repeated calls for the suspect to come out went unanswered. It was determined that the Portsmouth SWAT team and the K9 unit needed to be dispatched.
Dispatch confirmed that the strange vehicle had been reported stolen in the county while the officers covered the house and the steep hillside. Detective Sergeant Jodi Conkel, of the Scioto County Sheriff’s Department, coordinated the response.
It took nearly 4 hours for Portsmouth SWAT to get the suspect, Aaron Armstrong, into custody.
Armstrong was ultimately charged with the following.
- Receiving Stolen Property (2 counts)
- Tampering w/ Evidence
- Having Weapons While Under Disability
- Disrupting Public Service
- Retaliation
- Resisting Arrest (2 counts)
- Obstructing Official Business
- Breaking and Entering (2 counts)
- Possession of Drugs
- Trafficking in Drugs
- 2911.12 – Burglary
- 2937.43 – Failure to Appear; Issuance of Warrant (2 counts)
Armstrong has been arrested over 20 times in Scioto County. His long list of previous charges include: Burglary, Violating a Protection Order (4 times), Probation Violation (6 times), Aggravated Meanicing (3 times), Domestic Violence (4 times), Falsification, Drug Possession, Criminal Trespassing, and Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor.
Armstrong is currently being held at the Scioto County Jail awaiting a talk with the judge.
