Grand Island man arrested after stand off with police

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (KSNB) - Grand Island police Tuesday arrested a man after a stand-off at his home in the east part of town.

Police say they were called to the 900 block of East 11th street shortly after 6:00 AM after a report of a partially clothed woman fleeing a house and screaming. Police said Mark Simons, 54, fired a handgun at the woman as she was leaving the house.

The suspect refused to leave his house when police arrived on the scene. They later called in a tactical team and continued to negotiate with the man asking him to leave the house. Eventually they fired a non-lethal gas canister into the house. The suspect came out and surrendered on his front porch at about 9:15 AM.

On Wednesday, Simons was formally charged with felony Terroristic Threats and Possession of a Deadly Weapon in the Commission of a Felony. His preliminary hearing is scheduled August 28 and he’s being held on $150,000 bond. A conviction on the weapons charges carries a max penalty of 50 years in prison.

Police suspect alcohol was involved. Police reported no injuries to either the victim or suspect.