Bail hearing possible for standoff suspect

A man who has been in custody since his arrest last week following a police standoff may seek his freedom later this week.

Daniel Crowder made a brief appearance Tuesday in Lethbridge provincial court where duty counsel suggested the accused may have a bail hearing during his next court appearance Thursday.

Crowder, who appeared by closed-circuit TV from the Lethbridge Correctional Centre, is charged with uttering death threats, possession of body armour, breaching probation, breaching release conditions and failing to comply with court orders.

The charges stem from an incident that began about 9:30 a.m. last Wednesday when police responded to a request to check on the well-being of a man at an apartment complex in the 2500 block of Walsh Drive West as a result of comments he made on social media.

Police attended the man’s home and attempted to make contact with him but he refused to speak to the officers, LPS said in a news release following the incident. Officers then evacuated a portion of the building as a safety precaution and barricaded roads in the area.

The man continued to post comments online, and members of the Lethbridge Police Critical Incident Response Team, including the Tactical Team, Explosive Disposal Unit and Crisis Negotiators, were deployed.

Officials said police made numerous unsuccessful attempts to communicate with the man throughout the afternoon, but just before 4 p.m. he began speaking with negotiators and exited his home.

He was safely taken into custody at that time and taken to hospital, but discharged a short time later. No one was injured.

Police didn’t find any weapons during a search of the apartment unit, but they did find body armour, which is prohibited by provincial legislation.