Published:Wednesday, August 6, 2008 11:41 AM PDT
Serving the South Coast of Oregon

Police shoot a kidnap suspect in standoff
Wednesday, August 6, 2008 11:41 AM PDT

PHILOMATH (AP) — A Philomath police officer fired at least one round Monday at a man accused of kidnapping a woman and holding her elderly mother hostage, the Oregon State Police said.

Full details of the incident remained unclear late Tuesday, but William Scott Martin, 49, of Philomath was arraigned on charges of kidnapping, burglary, menacing and disobeying a “no-contact order.”

He was held in the Benton County Jail on $1 million security in lieu of bail. A grand jury has been scheduled to review the case Friday.

The Oregon State Police said a Philomath officer responded to a call about a burglary. When officers arrived, they found a man armed with a handgun trying to force his 51-year-old ex-girlfriend, Kristy Seits, into a pickup truck behind the house.

Officers distracted the man, which gave Seits a chance to escape. The Philomath police officer fired at least one round and missed the man, who then ran back into the house and reportedly took Kathleen Seits, 74, as a hostage.

According to a Corvallis police officer’s report, Martin pointed a pistol at the Philomath officer, which is when the unidentified officer fired.

Diane Eatherton, the Seitses’ neighbor, said she heard two gunshots before police came to her door.

A Linn County hostage negotiator talked the suspect into surrendering after a four-hour standoff.

The officer, who is on paid administrative leave during the investigation, has been with the department for two and a half years.


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