Calaveras EnterpriseFront Page Local News School News Club News Business News Sports Crime Obituaries Multimedia Place an Ad Online Lodestar Magazine Photo Galleries Columns Letters to the Editor Submit a Letter Announcements Thursday, November 6, 2008 News | Sports | Classifieds | Calendar | Special Sections | Opinion | Contact Us | Local Links | Real Estate | Autos and RVs | Groceries News Obits Advanced Search • Archives E-Edition E-Edition Log In News Standoff ends with arrest of Paloma man By Joel Metzger Email this story | Print this story Posted: Wednesday, November 5, 2008 10:18 AM CST A standoff with a Paloma man ended without incident after the man was taken into custody by members of the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Department’s Special Weapons and Tactics team. Kevin Melby, 31, Paloma, was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, battery on a peace officer, obstructing/resisting a peace officer, threat with intent to terrorize and willful cruelty to a child with possible injury or death, according to a Sheriff’s Department press release. Details are still unclear, but the following is a summary of the events according to a sheriff’s report and other public records. The incident began last Monday afternoon when a call came in reporting a disturbance on Cloward Road in Paloma. The victim told deputies that he and his 7-year-old daughter were riding all-terrain vehicles on Cloward Road when they were confronted by Melby as they approached his home. The man, 37, told deputies that Melby threatened to kill his family and began swinging a four-foot metal pole at his daughter but missed. Melby then returned to his house. Deputies requested the Calaveras County Communications Center place a phone call to Melby requesting him to step out of his house and speak with deputies. Melby refused and became uncooperative when deputies contacted him at the front door of his home. After deputies made several requests, Melby still refused to leave. Deputies then attempted to force their way through the front door, intent on arresting Melby but were unsuccessful and the attempt caused Melby to flee to another area of the house. Deputies, now concerned for their own safety as they had previously received information that Melby possessed an assault rifle, left the front of the house and continued to watch the house from a safer location. The SWAT team was called in and negotiators spoke with Melby over the telephone for over an hour, but after it became apparent that Melby was not going to voluntarily leave the house, the SWAT team entered and took him into custody without incident. Investigators did not find an assault rifle. While Melby was being taken to a patrol vehicle for transport to the County Jail, he spit on one of the SWAT team members. Melby is being held in jail in lieu of $185,000 bail. Contact Joel Metzger at jmetzger@calaverasenterprise.com. Comment (No comments posted.) Comments are posted after review by the Web master. They represent the opinion of the commenting party. While we encourage them as a way to further community discussion of important public topics, we reserve the right to reject or edit them. How do I find my comments later? Articles change daily on our Web site. Please make a note of the title of the article you have commented on. If you wish to read other people comments, once the article is taken down, do an archive search by title to locate the comments that apply to that story. We appreciate your comments and participation on our Web site. 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