Police Standoff Ends With Wanted Subject in Custody

"This was a textbook operation of how to quickly bring a situation under control when you have the resources to do it" - Columbia County Sheriff Jeff Dickerson

49-year old Greg Richard Wilson of Rainier is a suspect in the attempted murder of a 29-year old St. Helens man. Photo: Columbia Co. Sheriff's Office

(RANIER, Ore.) - With the help of two tactical teams responding to an area known for drugs and violence in Northwest Columbia County, a man wanted on three felony charges -- including attempted murder -- was taken into custody after a three-hour standoff. Sheriff Jeff Dickerson with the Columbia County Sheriff's Office, says 49-year old Greg Richard Wilson of Rainier, surrendered to sheriff's deputies after tactical team members introduced a chemical agent into the trailer in which he was hiding. Wilson is now in custody in the Columbia County Jail.

"Wilson was wanted on charges of Attempted Murder with a firearm, Assault First Degree with a Firearm, Unlawful Use of a Weapon and Menacing, following his indictment on those charges by a Columbia County grand jury."

He says a Columbia County Sheriff's deputy observed Wilson entering his trailer at 75885 Price Rd. just before 8:30 this morning and requested assistance before making contact with Wilson.

"Efforts to have Wilson leave his trailer were unsuccessful, although three other people inside came out, advisng Wilson was still inside," Dickerson said.

"Additional resources from the Rainier, Clatskanie and Oregon State Police Departments responded to the scene. The Sheriff's Office requested a callout from the local Critical Incident Response Team, which deployed members around the mobile home, after continuous efforts to contact Wilson by loud speaker and by telephone were unsuccessful."

Sheriff Dickerson also requested the assistance of the Washington County Sheriff's Tactical Negotiations Team, which responded and assumed operational control of the tactical effort to extract the wanted suspect from his home.

"Additional calls into the home were unheeded, and a chemical agent was deployed, quickly resulting in the suspect coming outside."

A brief struggle ensued with the suspect, Dickerson said, but he was quickly subdued without injury. "This was a textbook operation of how to quickly bring a situation under control when you have the resources to do it," Dickerson said.

"I am grateful to the Washington County Team for their rapid response and methodical operation, which resulted in the successful conclusion to this incident."

He says he is also grateful for the multi-agency response from Columbia County.

"Tactical team members from the St. Helens, Rainier and Scappoose Police Departments, and from our Sheriff's Office as well, performed admirably and worked well with the efforts of the Washington County team to complete the mission." Columbia 911 Dispatch also responded to the scene with a tactical dispatcher and lent their support throughout the incident.

Sheriff Dickerson explains that the arrest stemmed from a November 28, 2009 incident in the same trailer park where Wilson was taken into custody. Investigators believe Wilson and a juvenile suspect, 17-year old Scott Lavell, were involved in an attempt to murder 29-year old William Temple of St. Helens. Sheriff's deputies responding to the scene that night on a shots fired call discovered that Temple had been shot and had been taken to a hospital in Longview. Temple was later transferred to OHSU Hospital in Portland with life-threatening injuries. Temple survived and has subsequently been released. Lavell was taken into custody a few days after the shooting, but Wilson remained on the loose until today, when grand jury indictments were handed down with warrants for his arrest, Dickerson said. "The mobile home where Wilson lives is in a trailer park known for the presence of guns, drugs and the criminal element," the sheriff said. "We chose to be very cautious in order to protect both the public and to minimize the potential for armed conflict in the trailer park," the sheriff said. "Neighbors were voluntarily evacuated and a substantial tactical response was implemented to minimize the risk to innocent lives, as well as to the suspect."