Painesville Township man facing charges after SWAT incident

A Painesville Township man is facing charges after an hour-long standoff with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and SWAT team.

Lake County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Larry Harpster said that deputies were first called to a home near Hale Road and Route 20 in the township July 8 after receiving a call from the man’s family that he was distraught and they were afraid that he was going to harm himself.

They told law enforcement that they believed he went down to the basement with a gun.

Harpster said when deputies first arrived, they heard him moving around in the basement. They tried to make verbal contact with the man, but he wouldn’t respond. Harpster said the man, Derek Barstow, had three warrants out for his arrest.

“Before the three-hour mark we called in the SWAT team because of the concerns that he has a violent history (and) he was reported to have gone downstairs with a firearm,” Harpster said.

SWAT members searched and found Barstow hiding in a crawl space.

“We were able to take him into custody with no force,” Harpster said.

Barstow, 40, was arraigned July 9 in Painesville Municipal Court on fifth-degree felony obstructing official business and misdemeanor resisting arrest charges. He is currently being held in the Lake County Jail in lieu of bond payment, according to court records.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 14, according to court records.

Sheriff Frank Leonbruno said in a statement the SWAT team did an excellent job in peacefully resolving the situation