Police arrest man after standoff in Dinsmore

A tense situation in Dinsmore ended with a 34-year-old man taken into custody early Thursday.

The RCMP said the incident started Wednesday around 4:15 p.m., after the Mounties received reports about a man making online threats.

In a media release, police say the suspect was barricaded inside a home and believed to be armed with weapons.

The area around the home was blocked off for roughly eight hours until the situation was resolved around midnight.

The suspect was taken to hospital for treatment and a mental health assessment. He has not yet been charged.

Fifteen-year resident Megan Keeler has experienced a few late nights dealing with fires as a member of the local fire department, but has never seen this much excitement in one night.

“Definitely seeing that many police vehicles in town was alarming because we don’t know what was going on,” she said. “When you hear SWAT’s coming, you wonder what is really happening.”

Stan Mann lives a block from the scene. He says he could see the police drone flying overhead and officers on the loudspeaker.

“(The man’s) truck shows up about once a month or so, and you see it at the house,” Mann said. “It’s a pretty small town. Everyone knows everyone here, but no one seemed to know who lived there or who owned the house.”

Mayor Harvey Lonsberry said the man moved to the community about a month ago, but knows little else about him.

RCMP spokesperson Rob King told 650 CKOM the Mounties have dealt with the suspect before, but he’s never been charged with a crime in Saskatchewan.

Dinsmore is located 130 kilometres southwest of Saskatoon.