Police in standoff outside home near Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE — A standoff between an assault suspect and law enforcement officers ended with nobody hurt Thursday afternoon.

Robbie Marcher, 53, of Moses Lake, was taken into custody after barricading himself in his home, about 16 miles north of Moses Lake, for between two and three hours, according to Grant County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Kyle Foreman.

At a little before 12:30 p.m. Grant County Sheriff’s Deputies received a 911 call reporting that March had assaulted a female subject. As deputies drew close to the scene of the report, they saw the suspect’s vehicle driving away from the area and attempted to pull him over, Foreman said. However, Marcher didn’t stop and continued driving, although not at excessively high speeds.

Deputies followed Marcher to the driveway at his residence on Road H.8 off Road 10 Northeast, where he exited his vehicle and ran inside.

The area is sparsely populated, but nearby neighbors were advised of the situation as it was ongoing, Foreman said.

Negotiators with the Moses Lake Tactical Response Team responded and provided a solid containment of the home, Foreman said. Negotiators then had on-and-off phone conversation with Marcher over the course of two to three hours. When Marcher discontinued contact with the negotiators, the Tactical Response Team deployed concussion devices, often called “flash-bang.” Marcher still refused to emerge, so the team deployed tear gas through a bedroom window, forcing Marcher to come out and surrender.

He was transported by ambulance to Samaritan Hospital for treatment for exposure to the tear gas, and then to the Grant County Jail.

Deputies are recommending charges of second-degree assault – domestic violence as well as felony harassment charges for threats made to law enforcement officers during the course of the standoff.

The female victim’s injuries were not life-threatening, Foreman said.

This is not Marcher’s first encounter with law enforcement, according to previous Columbia Basin Herald reports.

Marcher was arrested after what he claimed was an accidental shooting of an off-duty law enforcement officer, Earl Romig, in 2008.

Grant County Superior Court convicted Marcher at the time of that shooting to more than five years in prison for multiple charges related to the incident.

Marcher’s defense attorney at the time, Brett Billingsley said then that his client was convicted of the crime of recklessly shooting Romig. He didn’t intentionally shoot the other man.

Foreman said the incident left Romig unable to continue his career in law enforcement.

Editor's note: This story has been updated throughout.