A tense standoff in Dracut, Massachusetts, ended without violence as Jorge Sanchez, 38, was arrested on Wednesday after barricading himself inside a Lillian Terrace home with police at bay. In a morning scare, Dracut Police responded to a call about a break-in at the residence following an alert from the homeowner who wasn't present but saw Sanchez on her surveillance system, NBC Boston reported. Negotiators and a SWAT team from the Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council were called in and successfully coaxed Sanchez out by 12:20 p.m., concluding the incident without further issue.
Upon his capture Sanchez, who had previously been served a restraining order and commanded to vacate the house, was promptly arranged in Lowell District Court facing charges of violating an abuse prevention order, The Lowell Sun detailed. Judge Pacifico DeCapua Jr. held Sanchez without bail, entering not guilty pleas on his behalf, as Middlesex Assistant District Attorney Andrew Mange revealed that the complainant had concerns regarding Sanchez's potentially armed status and a history of carrying knives, though no weapons were found on Sanchez at the time of his arrest.
During the standoff, the tension heightened after allegations surfaced that Sanchez had previously been seen with a firearm in the house and had been spotted handling knives, adding a volatile element to the situation. Sanchez's lawyer, Larry Colby, downplayed these claims asserting that, "there’s no mention he brandished a knife, there’s no mention he brandished a gun, there’s no mention he threatened violence," as he stood in defense of his client during the court proceedings.
The courtroom drama unfolded with Colby arguing for his client's good behavior over the past two decades, pointing out that Sanchez thought it permissible to be at the residence in absence of the complainant, Sanchez's last brush with the law being a gun possession conviction in 2002 was also noted by Mange. Despite these arguments, Judge Pacifico saw fit to keep Sanchez detained pending a dangerousness hearing set for Thursday; this is to determine his potential threat level to public safety before deciding whether he should remain incarcerated during the trial process.
