An Oct 13 preliminary hearing is set for the Scottsbluff man who took his sister-in-law and 2 nieces hostage and engaged law enforcement in an armed standoff at his brother’s house in Gering for 29 hours last Tuesday and Wednesday
     37-year old Bradley Garcia was arraigned Friday in Scotts Bluff County Court with Todd Lancaster of the Nebraska Commission on Public Advocacy appointed as his attorney. Garcia remains in custody on a million dollars bailÂ
He faces a total of 16 charges including 7 counts of 1st-Degree Assault on an Officer, 3 counts of 1st-Degree False Imprisonment, and 2 counts of felony use of a firearm.
He also faces single counts of burglary, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, terrorist threats, and misdemeanor operating a motor vehicle to avoid arrest
Garcia is accused of firing multiple shots from 2 rifles at officers during a car chase and later from his brother’s home, where he took refuge after crashing into its garage and taking his sister-in-law and nieces hostage at gunpoint.
He released his nieces after about 2 hours, but didn’t let his sister-in-law go until 1:30 the next afternoon. It was another 6-½ hours before Garcia surrendered after chemical agents were used to get him to come out of his hiding space in the home. Garcia is also being held on a fugitive warrant from Colorado for failure to appear in court on a charge of distribution of a controlled substance.
This will be interesting to see what the penalty will be.