Jamestown Police Chief Jeff Kerns praised the efforts of local and state law enforcement officers during Wednesday night’s lengthy standoff while addressing the Jamestown Mayor and City Council during Thursday evening’s regular meeting.
Chief Kerns thanked the many agencies that responded to assist the Jamestown Police Department, including members of the Kentucky State Police Special Response Team, whose efforts helped bring the nearly five-hour incident to a peaceful conclusion.
Kerns said he was especially grateful that the situation ended without any injuries to citizens, law enforcement officers or the suspect and he told council members that evacuating nearby residents from their homes for several hours was a necessary precaution to help ensure public safety while officers worked to resolve the situation.
The standoff began Wednesday afternoon after officers attempted to serve an arrest warrant on 43-year-old Melvin Beard at his home on Basket Factory Road. Beard later surrendered to the Kentucky State Police Special Response Team after refusing to allow officers into the residence. He remains lodged in the Russell County Detention Center on a $100,000 cash bond on charges of First-Degree Assault and First-Degree Wanton Endangerment in connection with a domestic violence investigation.
The police chief also took time during his remarks to thank Mayor Regena Hinton and the Jamestown City Council for recently restoring hazardous duty retirement benefits for Jamestown police officers. Kerns said he believes the benefit will play an important role in retaining experienced officers and strengthening the department for years to come.