Thatcher – An attempt to issue an arrest warrant turned into a barricade situation and ended with the suspect taken into custody.
Thatcher Police obtained a warrant for Robert “Bobby” Merino, 35, who was staying in a travel trailer behind his Woods Avenue home, and officers issued the warrant around 2 a.m. Saturday, May 20. attempted to execute
Assisted by Safford Police and the Graham County Sheriff’s Office, Safford Police deployed MRAP armored vehicles to assist officers.
Officers negotiated surrender with Merino for more than four hours before breaking into the trailer. Merino was taken into custody without incident and after appearing to be under the influence of an unknown substance, was transferred to the MGRC for evaluation before being placed in Graham County Jail.
A second warrant was obtained to search the trailer, and officers found several types of firearms and ammunition, an undisclosed quantity and type of controlled substance, and narcotics paraphernalia.
Merino faces drug and weapons charges and unpaid warrants.
“I would like to thank Mr. Safford and the Graham County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in this matter,” Thatcher Police Chief Schaffen Woods said in a prepared release. “We appreciate the patience and cooperation of local residents in keeping this situation safe for everyone.”
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