PRESS RELEASE

23-hour Hostage Situation in Parsons

 

 

On January 26, 2021, the Parsons Police Department received an attempt to locate a male subject and children from Wilson County Dispatch. Parsons officers were later asked to check several residences that were reported to be possibly housing the subject and children. Officers checked all areas but did not locate them. Wilson County stated the subject was last seen on January 22, 2021 and the family was worried about him and the 2 children. The subject was identified as Brad Berkstresser, 35-year-old male from Neodesha Kansas, and two children ages 13 and 10.

On January 28, 2021, a family member came to Parsons to look for Brad and had found one of Brad's children wondering around in the 2600 block of Main near the Dollar General Store. The child was able to lead the family member to where Brad was hiding at. 

Officers received information that Brad was possibly armed with an unknown weapon(s) and had one child in the house with him. Parsons Police set up a perimeter and incident command. They requested a negotiator to respond. The Kansas Highway Patrol and Labette County Sheriff's Department responded to the scene to assist in a safe negotiation that could lead to the release of the 13-year-old child and for Brad to surrender.

Officers from all three agencies maintained a three-hour standoff while negotiations took place. Negotiations continued throughout the night. In an effort to de-escalate the situation KHP and LBSO disengaged from the perimeter. Parsons Officers continued to negotiate though out the overnight hours.

Parson Police developed probable cause to seek an arrest warrant for Berkstresser's arrest for Aggravated Child Endangerment, Criminal Restraint, Criminal Trespass and Contributing to a Child's Misconduct. Bail was set at 25,000.

A search warrant was also obtained for the abandoned residence in the 2900 block of Crawford that Berkstresser had been staying in while hiding from family members. This residence had been previously red tagged by the City of Parsons as a dilapidated abandoned building.

Parsons Police Officers had continued to try to negotiate with Berkstresser for nearly 23 hours. For the safety of the 13-year-old and still not sure if the subject was armed as had been previously reported, Parsons Police deployed a robot, and then made a forced entry into the building slightly before 3 pm.

The entry team was able to subdue Berkstresser and were able to whisk the 13-year-old out of the building to safety.

"The coordination of the robot, distraction and entry team actions could not have gone smoother," said Parsons Police Chief Robert Spinks. "Given that this event stretched all of our policing resources, the staff had been up in some cases 16 and 20 hours. But we put safety first and the preservation of life as our utmost goal. I could not be any prouder of our policing team as I am today."

According to Deputy Chief Dennis Dodd, "the negotiation skills of Cpl Garrett Lucas and Detective Lieutenant Sherri McGuire were suburb in helping to stabilize and peacefully resolve this incident."

The subject finally surrendered to law enforcement and was taken into custody safely with the children released to family members.

Parsons Police Chief Robert Spinks said, "I am always worried with situations like these. They are unstable and can turn violent in a matter of a few seconds and the resolution is never a given. Fluid situations revolving around domestic issues are always a high alert call for all officers and first responders. You go into a call and have a plan before you go but that plan is not always the winner. I pray that the children and everyone involved are able to receive the any care they need, and that family will be a part of the understanding process."

Parsons officers had multiple streets and roads close to traffic and had to ask some neighbors to leave the area for their safety.

Parsons Deputy Chief Dennis Dodd said, "I want to thank all of the responding agencies for their assistance. It's these partnerships that can bring situations to a conclusion and foster good relationship across agencies for future endeavors."

This continues to be an on-going investigation and citizens are encouraged to "See It, Hear It, Report It." If anyone has any further information on this incident or any other criminal activity, please contact the Parsons Police Department at 421-7060 or call the Tip Line at 421-7057 or email at tips@parsonspd.com.

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