BLOOMINGTON — A six-hour standoff at the Homewood Suites hotel in Bloomington ended in the arrest of a man wanted on several warrants Friday night.
Samuel Baumgartner Jr. was taken into custody just after 8:30 p.m, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
MCSO said the standoff began around 12:30 p.m. when deputies arrived to the hotel to locate Baumgartner, who was wanted for felony warrants for failing to register as a sex offender in Monroe County and resisting law enforcement out of Owen County.
When deputies knocked on the door to the room Baumgartner was believed to be in, they reportedly heard barking and movement but no one answered.
Deputies obtained a search warrant and used a hotel key card to unlock the door, but the security latch was out, MCSO said.
The lead deputy was still able to see Baumgartner through the crack in the door, who MCSO said was holding a gun. Deputies also learned Baumgartner's 87-year-old mother was also in the room.
At that point, deputies requested help from the Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) and additional agencies, including Bloomington Police and the Indiana State Police, who arrived at the hotel and began helping evacuate staff and guests.
CIRT negotiators arrived and tried to talk with Baumgartner, however MCSO said he would not comply with orders to let his mother exit the room and to turn himself over to police.
After several hours of negotiations and attempts, Baumgarter’s mother and the dog were safely removed from the hotel room just after 7 p.m., MCSO said.
Roughly an hour and a half later, the CIRT used less-lethal devices to get Baumgartner to comply where he was taken into custody without any injuries.
During a search of the room, police reportedly uncovered a rifle and two boxes of ammunition.
He was booked into the Monroe County Jail on charges of:
- Failure to Register as a Sex Offender on a Monroe County felony warrant
- Failure to Appear on an Owen County felony warrant with the original charge of Resisting Law Enforcement
- Criminal Confinement with a Deadly Weapon, a Level 3 felony
- Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Serious Violent Felon, a Level 4 felony
- Resisting Law Enforcement using a Deadly Weapon, a Level 6 felony
- Criminal Mischief, a Class A misdemeanor
- Disorderly Conduct, a Class B misdemeanor
Baumgartner has a lengthy criminal history, according to online court records.
Baumgartner was convicted in Monroe County in 2007 for Vicarious Sexual Gratification and sentenced to two and a half years in prison, according to Indiana's sex offender registry.
He is required to register as a sex offender for life.
Baumgartner has other convictions for intimidation, battery against a police officer and resisting law enforcement.
