Blair man arrested after 17-hour standoff with Nebraska State Patrol and SWAT

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – A Blair man was arrested late Friday night after a 17-hour standoff with the Nebraska State Patrol and its SWAT Team.

James Hynes, 70, was arrested for making terroristic threats and obstruction.

NSP said around 5 a.m. Friday, the Cuming County Sheriff’s Office asked for assistance with Hynes, who was threatening self harm.

The sheriff’s office said Hynes was in possession of multiple firearms and threatened to harm others recently.

Several law enforcement agencies set up a perimeter in a field near West Point.

NSP said Hynes was using a deer blind as a shelter during the standoff.

Troopers used drones to monitor the situation, and Hynes shot one down with a firearm.

NSP said he fired several rounds and made threatening statements throughout the day.

The SWAT Team was activated. The team used armored vehicles to approach Hynes in the deer blind as he continued to fire and refused to surrender.

The SWAT Team used chemical munitions to get Hynes out of the blind, but he still refused.

Around 10 p.m. Friday night, the armored vehicles were used to push the deer blind over.

At that point, Hynes exited and was taken into custody.

He is being lodged in the Thurston County Jail.