(Ulster County Sheriff’s Department)
Members of the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office and Town of Shandaken Police Department report the arrest of Thomas B. Sims, 65, of Kingston, New York, after an eight-hour stand-off with police.
On Sunday, April 11, members of the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office, the Ulster County Emergency Response Team, and the Ulster County Crisis Negotiation Team responded to a residence on Creek Side Drive in the Town of Shandaken after receiving a request for assistance from the Town of Shandaken Police Department.
At approximately 9:45 a.m., the Town of Shandaken Police Department responded to a residence on Creekside Drive for a possible burglary in progress. When officers arrived and entered the residence, they encountered Sims on the second floor where he appeared to be armed with a gun. Police sad Sims refused to comply with the officers and barricaded himself in a room refusing to exit. After an eight-hour stand-off and refusing to comply to exit, members of the Ulster County Emergency Response Team entered the residence and placed Sims into custody.
The residence was searched and three rifles were located. He was turned over to the Town of Shandaken Police Department and was charged with the felonies of Burglary in the Second Degree, Criminal Mischief in the Second Degree, and Menacing a Police Officer. He was also charged with the misdemeanors of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Fifth Degree, Petit Larceny and Resisting Arrest.
Sims was arraigned in the Town of Shandaken Justice Court and was remanded to the Ulster County Jail in lieu of $250,000 cash bail or $500,000 secured bond. He will reappear in the Town of Shandaken Justice Court on a future date and time.