Police activity near North Elementary causes school delay

After a four and a half hour-standoff with authorities, a 44-year-old man was placed into protective custody Wednesday morning in Sidney.

Police and sheriff’s deputies responded to a residence near North Elementary School at about 3 a.m., Cheyenne County Attorney Paul Schaub said.

“Family members reported concerns that the subject was not taking his medication, hallucinating and delusional,” a media release from Schaub’s office states.

The man – whose identity was not disclosed because of state laws regarding mental health subjects – told authorities he was armed with a shotgun and threatened to shoot anyone who entered the residence.

The Cheyenne County SWAT team was dispatched to the scene and the subject was taken into custody at about 7:30 a.m., according to the release.

“The subject is in custody for a mental health evaluation,” the release adds. “No criminal complaint has been filed at this time.”

On Wednesday afternoon, Schaub said the man is in a secure facility and is scheduled to undergo a mental health evaluation.

“The mental health facility has about two days to get their findings back to me and then I have 24 hours to make a decision whether to file a mental health petition,” he explained.

Under the Nebraska Mental Health Commitment Act, a county attorney can petition a court to involuntarily commit a “mentally ill and dangerous person” for treatment.

Schaub said neither the man nor any of the responding law enforcement officers received injuries in the incident.

Because the house was less than a block from North Elementary, police asked school officials to delay the start of school.

Jay Ehler, Sidney School District superintendent, said classes were postponed until 10 a.m.

“It was simply a safety precaution,” he said.

Parents and staff were notified of the delayed start by emails and phone calls, he explained. Additionally, the district posted notices on its social media accounts.

“This was just an isolated incident, and safety was our primary concern,” he said.