A North Judson man wanted on felony warrants from Illinois now faces charges in Starke County after a Wednesday night standoff with police.
A North Judson Police Officer spotted 30-year-old Ferdinand R. Sporea pull into the garage of a house on Range Road just south of State Road 10 around 5:15 p.m. The officer knew Sporea had outstanding warrants, according to the incident report.
Deputies from the Starke County Sheriff’s Office were in the area and went to the house. They say Sporea refused to answer the door after repeated attempts. They entered the house and discovered Sporea had barricaded himself in a bedroom and hid in the closet.
K-9 Zardoz was eventually sent into the bedroom, but officers say Sporea still refused to come out of the closet. The officers then entered, and Sporea and 24-year-old Emily J. Dutcher were helped from the closet by Zardoz.
Sporea was treated by medics before being booked into the Starke County Jail. In addition to the Illinois warrants, local charges of resisting law enforcement and battery of a police officer are pending.
Dutcher was taken to Starke Hospital for medical clearance before being booked into the jail. She had outstanding warrants in Marshall County and faces assisting a criminal, resisting law enforcement and failure to identify charges.
