by Anita Baffoni, WPRO News
For over seven hours, a Swansea man held police at bay after he locked himself in a Seekonk motel.
Police pulled over 31-year-old Jaron Albanese and his girlfriend on Route 6 at about 12:30 Tuesday morning and found there was a warrant for his arrest.
“Sometimes people just don’t want to be arrested for whatever reason and people try to flee for the silliest things and make things worse,” says Seekonk Police Chief Craig Mace.
The Chief says Albanese had a large military-style hunting knife on him and when Albanese got out of the car, he and the woman fled into a room at the nearby Mary’s Motor Lodge.
Police set up a perimeter outside of the motel room and after Albanese refused to surrender, it caused officers to set up an armed barricade. Thinking they faced a hostage situation, police called in a SWAT team and he only surrendered after some 7 1/2 hours of negotiations without incident.
Mace says of the 31 years in law enforcement, he has never dealt with a standoff that lasted this long.
Albanese, of 47 Lincoln Avenue, Swansea MA, is charged with kidnapping, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, violation of an abuse prevention order, resisting arrest and failure to register as sex offender.
