A Penrose man wanted on robbery and weapons charges was arrested Monday after a weeks-long standoff and multi-agency investigation.
According to the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office CrimeWatch page, on July 24, the Colorado Springs Police Department responded to an address in Colorado Springs to investigate a domestic violence incident. The investigation led to an arrest warrant being issued for James Neely, 39, of Penrose, charged with aggravated robbery, menacing, possession of a weapon by a previous felon and stalking.
Information from the domestic violence investigation revealed that Neely had a conversion device used to transform a semi-automatic firearm into a machine gun. Further information also suggested that Neely was in possession of additional firearms in violation of state and federal law, as Neely had previously been convicted of multiple felonies.
In response to reports of firearms, the Armed Violent Offender Task Force consisted of detectives and officers from the CSPD, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, the Department of Corrections/Parole Division, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the The FBI continued the firearms investigation and obtained a search warrant for Neely’s residence located in the 1300 block of L Street in Penrose.
On Monday, the task force asked the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team to execute a search warrant at the L Street address. Intelligence revealed that Neely was present at the residence, but barricaded himself inside when police arrived.
After several hours of negotiation and the introduction of chemical agents into the residence, Neely surrendered and was taken into custody without incident. Neely was treated for chemical exposure at a local hospital and later booked into the Fremont County Detention Center.
This is an ongoing investigation.
