A lengthy standoff with a man in Portal and Bulloch County law enforcement ended Wednesday with a peaceful surrender.
The Sheriff’s Office said deputies were dispatched to Coleman Street in Portal around 10:00 a.m. on January 18. They were notified of a ‘distraught male armed with a handgun walking around outside.’ According to the Sheriff’s Office, the male made comments that indicated he possibly wanted to be killed by law enforcement in a shootout.
Deputies responded to the area and observed that the male, later identified as Jason Wilkes, was still armed. At that time, as a precaution, Sheriff Noel Brown requested that the schools in Portal be locked down. Alerts were also sent out over social media.
Hostage negotiators attempted to talk WILKES into putting the gun down. However, he refused to comply and walked out to his truck.
Deputies on the scene were notified by a representative with the Bulloch County School System that students would soon start to be dismissed from school for the day. It was also relayed to law enforcement that there would likely be foot traffic in the area with some students walking to their homes. Sheriff Brown instructed Deputies to go ahead and move in and attempt to bring an end to the situation, out of concern for children possible walking into the immediate vicinity. Deputies approached WILKES’ pickup truck using an armored vehicle for protection and to prevent Wilke from leaving in his vehicle. Wilkes surrendered without further incident at that time.
In a press release, Sheriff Brown thanked all agencies that assisted with this incident, and was grateful no one was hurt. Possible charges are pending at this time as the investigation is still underway.
