UPDATE 3:20 P.M.: SUSPECT’S NAME RELEASED
On Wednesday, June 18, at approximately 1:54 AM, Jamestown Police were dispatched to 1818 Western Park Village on a domestic disturbance call. According to Maj. Blinsky, a female resident reported feeling unsafe in her home due to a male who was allegedly using drugs, yelling at her, and had threatened to kill her. The woman also indicated there were multiple firearms in the residence that the suspect could access.
When officers arrived and attempted to make contact, the 30-year-old male suspect, later identified as Jacob Lee Schmitt of Jamestown, refused to cooperate and barricaded himself in a back room of the residence. During the initial response, officers safely evacuated four occupants from the home, including the female victim and two children. However, the suspect took a 2-year-old child with him when he retreated to the back room.
Given the serious nature of the threats, the presence of firearms, and the fact that a toddler was being held, the James Valley Special Operations Team was activated at 2:50 AM, according to the release. This tactical team included both tactical officers and negotiators. A shelter-in-place order was issued for the Western Park Village area, and tactical positioning included snipers on neighboring rooftops.
Throughout the approximately 11-hour standoff, police maintained some communication with the suspect, though he continued to refuse requests to surrender or release the child. Around 10:00 AM, the suspect requested food and water.
At approximately 12:45 PM, when conditions were deemed safer for entry, the Special Operations Team successfully breached the residence. The suspect did not resist arrest when officers entered. The 2-year-old child was quickly removed from the scene – Chief Edinger said the boy was “shaken up a little bit, but otherwise in good shape” – while Schmitt was taken into custody around 1:00 PM.
Schmitt was arrested on suspicion of terrorizing and transported to Stutsman County Corrections to await formal charges. The incident remains under investigation with additional charges possible. No injuries were reported during the operation.
The response involved multiple agencies including Jamestown Police, Stutsman County Sheriff’s Office, North Dakota Highway Patrol, Jamestown Street Department, Stutsman County Emergency Management Office, and Jamestown Area Ambulance.
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The Jamestown Police Department has issued a shelter in place advisory for the Western Park Village this morning due to what they describe as an “active incident.” Roads have been closed and the area has been cordoned off since early this morning as a James Valley Special Operations tactical team has been called into assist.
Major Justin Blinksy with the Jamestown Police Department says that officers responded to a reported domestic violence incident around 2:00 a.m. in the Western Park Village area.
Upon investigation they found the suspect had been making terroristic threats.
Jamestown Police Department Facebook Post about the active incident on June 18, 2025
Maj. Blinsky says officers tried contacting the suspect but he did not respond. Police Chief Scott Edinger tells KSJB that police spoke to some of the people involved at the time of the initial domestic disturbance call and removed a female and two children from the scene. Meanwhile, the male suspect and a two-year-old child retreated into the building, where the man refused to cooperate with officers. They also say the man requested food and water this morning around 10:00 a.m.
Police believe that the suspect has firearms, is unwilling to follow commands, and is a threat to public safety. As of 11:45 a.m., KSJB’s Payton Gall reports that two gunmen with what appear to be sniper rifles could be seen moving in place on top of a neighboring residence.
James Valley Special Operations gunmen on the roof of a neighbor’s residence
UPDATE 12:45 P.M.: SUSPECT IN CUSTODY
Shortly before 12:45 p.m. when the shelter-in-place order was lifted for the Western Park Village, it was indicated to the Special Operations team that it was “a little safer to make entry,” Police Chief Edinger told KSJB News. When officers entered, the man did not resist arrest. Chief Edinger said that the two-year-old child that was allegedly taken hostage was “shaken up a little bit, but otherwise he was in good shape.” The man was taken into custody at around 1 p.m. No injuries were reported.
Chief Edinger told KSJB that he was unable to confirm whether the man had weapons in the residence. The identity of the suspect has not yet been released, and charges have not yet been filed.
This is a developing story. KSJB News will update when more information becomes available.
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