MENASHA, Wis. — UPDATE: Menasha Police have released an updated statement saying the suspect will not appear in court Friday.
Police have identified a man accused of threatening to shoot police officers during a standoff in Menasha.
Police say 35-year-old Christopher D. Walsh faces charges of Domestic Disorderly Conduct, Failure to Comply with Taking a Person Into Custody, and 1st Degree Recklessly Endangering Safety for a police standoff that ended peacefully Wednesday morning.
According to Menasha Police, a mother of a 15-month-old girl called 911 and told police that the girl's father, identified as Walsh, was acting irrationally. Police say the mother told officers that Walsh had started to scream about her poisoning a bottle for the child and then got a handgun from the bedroom. According to the woman, the man was waiving the gun around, threatening to shoot officers if they showed up, and was using drugs prior to the incident.
When officers came to the house, police say Walsh told them nothing was wrong and he immediately went into the house with the child. Police eventually set up a perimeter around the house. After several hours of not having contact with Walsh, police say officers sent a robot into the house and took positions inside and around the home.
Police say they did eventually make contact with Walsh, talking with him throughout the morning hours while he held the child close to him and threatened to shoot officers. Around 10:30 am police say Walsh agreed with a negotiator's suggestion to place the child in the window where a SWAT member took the girl to safety. Police say Walsh then crawled out of the window and officers arrested him.
After Walsh was arrested, officers searched the home where police say they found several fake guns, along with drug paraphernalia and a cell phone. Police say after getting precautionary medical clearance, Walsh was taking to the Winnebago County Jail.
Police say the child is with her mother and wasn't hurt during the standoff.
