Man arrested after SWAT callout on city's northeast side

After a two-hour standoff with police Thursday afternoon, a Kokomo man has been booked into the Howard County Jail.

Keith Abney, 62, was preliminarily charged with two Level 6 felonies of battery on an officer and criminal recklessness, per online arrest records. Formal charges are still pending.

Kokomo Police Department Maj. Brian Seldon told the Tribune that around noon Thursday, one of Abney’s neighbors alerted authorities that Abney allegedly fired a bullet into her house in the 1000 block of East North Street.

Officers arrived on scene and attempted to make contact with Abney, Seldon said.

“He notified us that he had a weapon and that it wasn’t safe to do so (speak with him),” Seldon added. “He was apparently making some threats.”

Due to those reported threats, Seldon said authorities determined it would be safer to evacuate the residences surrounding Abney. The department’s SWAT team and its negotiators were also called in to take control of the scene.

Seldon added that Abney surrendered a couple hours after negotiations began and officials were able to determine he was the only occupant inside his house at the time.

After being taken into police custody, Abney was treated at the scene by medical personnel. Area residents were then allowed back onto their properties.

No other injuries were reported.

“We train for instances like this,” Seldon said. “And as you see, it turned out to be safe for everybody in this neighborhood and our officers.”