Lawrence police arrest suspect in disturbance that led to six-hour standoff

Lawrence police officers block off the area near a trailer court in the 100 block of Maple Street, in North Lawrence, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2017.

Lawrence police have arrested the suspect in a disturbance that led to a six-hour standoff last week at a North Lawrence trailer court.

Police arrested John R. Berry for a probation violation early Wednesday morning at his home, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office jail booking log. Officers were called to the trailer court shortly before midnight, found Berry hiding in a bathroom and arrested him without incident, Lawrence Police Officer Derrick Smith said.

Authorities had been searching for Berry, 27, since Aug. 30, when police were called to Berry’s trailer for a reported disturbance with weapons.

John Robert Berry

At the time, police believed Berry had threatened to harm another person during an argument in the trailer and had barricaded himself inside with a gun. Officers evacuated the trailer court and cordoned off the area while attempting to reach Berry by phone. But after several hours and limited communication with Berry, police sent an investigative robot into the trailer and determined that he was not there.

Berry had been on supervised release since March, after being convicted and sentenced for making a criminal threat, a felony, according to Kansas Department of Corrections records. The warrant for his probation violation was issued Aug. 24, according to Douglas County District Court records.