the spearfish standoff ends quietly

By Mark Watson, Black Hills Pioneer January 26, 2006

SPEARFISH - Shots rang out on Nash Street Wednesday evening prompting the start of a nearly eight-hour standoff which ended quietly after the suspect agreed to give himself up early this morning.Police arrested 25-year-old Stephen Jesse Whitelance at approximately 2:04 this morning, according to Spearfish police.

The incident arose from a two-day altercation between neighbors, said Pat Rotert, Spearfish police chief. Wednesday afternoon police responded to 725 Nash St. where a male subject told police that a subject at that residence had pointed a rifle at him and threatened him, according to a police report.Officers made contact with Whitelance at a residence in Rapid City. Then at approximately 6:21 p.m. officers responded to the scene again after a caller reported Whitelance returned and had fired several shots from an assault-style weapon. Upon arrival of officers, Whitelance retreated into the residence.Officers from the police department, Lawrence County Sheriff's Department and South Dakota Highway Patrol several nearby buildings in the immediate vicinity and closed off traffic to parts of BHSU and surrounding streets.According to the report, after several unsuccessful attempts to contact Whitelance, police requested assistance from the Rapid City Police Department/ Pennington County's Special Response Team.Spearfish police also used the SRT in late November 2005, when the department was involved in a nine-hour standoff with a barricaded suspect.Rotert explained that because of the size of the department, having a SRT in Spearfish is not feasible.At approximately 2:04 a.m. SRT negotiators made contact with Whitelance who agreed to leave the residence, according to the report. He was taken into custody and released to the Spearfish Police Department.An investigation indicated that he fired rounds from an assault-style weapon outside of the neighbor's residence and had also enter the neighbor's residence and fired shots into the ceiling, the report stated. During a subsequent search of 725 Nash St., police found four marijuana plants being grown.Whitelance was arrested by the Spearfish Police Department and charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, second degree burglary, reckless discharge of a firearm, possession of a loaded firearm while intoxicated, intentional property damage, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.As of press time the investigation continues.The Spearfish Police Department would like to thank the Lawrence County Sheriff's Department, South Dakota Highway Patrol, Rapid City Police Department/ Pennington County SRT, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation and Black Hills State University for their assistance.