A 47-year-old Alma Drive resident who allegedly threatened to harm himself and others voluntarily surrendered to Medford police Sunday night, ending a 24-hour marathon standoff with a small army of SWAT team officers and snipers.
The tense situation began at 5:30 p.m. Saturday during a reported domestic dispute between 47-year-old Bradley Leon Cathey and his wife, Sandra Cathey, 45. When police arrived, the wife left the residence with a 7-week-old baby in her arms, police said.
"It was a good ending to a very tragic case," Lt. Tim Doney of the Medford police said. "Nobody was hurt, no citizens were hurt, no officers were hurt and he wasn't hurt."
It also was one of the longest standoffs in recent memory in Medford, said Doney. No shots were fired during the incident.
Cathey walked out of his 2448 Alma Drive house, a few blocks west of Crater Lake Avenue, and obeyedorders from police officers who quickly put him under arrest almost exactly 24 hours after the situation erupted. He was unarmed at the time.
After a search warrant was issued on the house, officers found a shotgun, two .22-caliber rifles and a .38-caliber handgun. He had barricaded himself in his garage, threatening to harm himself and officers, the Medford police reported.
Even though the suspect suggested there were explosives, none were found, said Doney.
Cathey will be taken in for psychological evaluation and will be charged with coercion, menacing and disorderly conduct.
Police haven't determined whether drugs or alcohol were a factor, said Doney.
The Jackson County District Attorney's Office could decide to file additional charges after it reviews the case, he said.
Neighbors, who had been evacuated 24 hours earlier, returned to their homes and police pulled down yellow tape that blocked both entrances to Alma Drive.
The Jackson County Sheriff's Department SWAT team relieved Medford police officers Sunday morning after officers had worked through the night. No estimates have been made yet on how much it cost to mount the police response to the standoff.
Officers shut off water and electricity to the home to prod Cathey into contacting police and ending the standoff peacefully.
Police wanted to avoid bursting into Cathey's home unless he took some sort of provocative action at the three-bedroom house that he and his wife bought in 2005.
Residents offered up their homes to officers during the standoff, providing them with water and a place to go for restroom breaks.
"We would like to express our appreciation to the neighbors," said Doney.
On nearby Gould Street, police set up a mobile command center.
Neighbors and other onlookers strolled past police tape Sunday afternoon, trying to peer down the street as officers occasionally drove by carrying weapons and dressed in camouflage gear.
While some nearby residents weren't sure what the commotion was about, others said the Catheys had a history of domestic disputes and developed strained relations with some of their neighbors, many of whom feared having their names disclosed. Some residents said Cathey was generally a fairly quiet man.
Rick Cavalli said the couple had moved out about five months ago, and had only been back about two weeks.
"It was nice having them gone," he said.
In one dispute with a neighbor, Cavalli said the Catheys had installed video cameras and erected halogen lights.
He said his family adopted an 11-year-old girl who was one of three foster children that formerly had been cared for by the Catheys.
"They're not what you'd call your June and Ward Cleaver couple," Cavalli said, referring to the 1950s and '60s sitcom "Leave It To Beaver."
Medford police didn't refute the suggestion that they had dealings with the Catheys prior to the standoff.
"It's fair to say we haven't had a lot of contact with this family prior to this," said Doney. "That's not to say we haven't had any."
Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail dmann@mailtribune.com.
