UTICA, NY — A 55-year-old man is facing multiple charges, including kidnapping, after a 20-hour standoff with police at a high-rise apartment building that began on December 26 and ended peacefully the following day.
Utica Police officers were dispatched to the 17th floor of 2 Kennedy Plaza at approximately 2:50 p.m. Thursday after reports of a man threatening people with a knife. Upon arrival, officers learned the suspect, later identified as Earnest Wallace, had argued with his girlfriend, brandished a knife, threatened those present, and forcibly dragged the woman into a nearby apartment.
Crisis negotiators, SWAT teams, and specialized units from Utica Police, the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office, and New Hartford Police spent more than 20 hours negotiating with Wallace through the apartment door. Shortly before noon on December 27, Wallace released the woman, who was unharmed but shaken. A little after noon, Wallace exited the apartment compliantly and was taken into custody without incident.
Police later searched the apartment and recovered the knife described in the threats.
Wallace faces multiple charges related to this incident, including kidnapping in the second degree, three counts of menacing in the second degree, criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, and criminal contempt in the first degree.
This standoff followed a string of prior domestic incidents between Wallace and the victim dating back to December 22, including charges of harassment, criminal mischief, and violating a protective order.
Utica Police credited the expertise and coordination of nearly 30 officers, SWAT teams, and crisis negotiators for resolving the standoff without physical injuries to any involved parties.
