making a big stinking deal out of a probation violation Original Article Tempe standoff ends peacefully Police evacuate nearby homes during negotiations by Brian Indrelunas published on Tuesday, May 3, 2005 Aldei Gregoire / THE STATE PRESS Charles Brugh, 32, sits in a police cruiser after a four-hour standoff in Tempe on Monday. A Tempe man wanted in connection with two felony warrants surrendered peacefully to police after barricading himself in his parents' house near campus for more than four hours Monday afternoon. During the standoff, police evacuated 15 homes and apartments while a nearby elementary school kept students past its dismissal time. Police attempted to contact Charles Brugh, 32, at his parents' house on the 1300 block of North Seventh Place shortly after 2 p.m., said Tempe police Sgt. Dan Masters. Officers saw a man believed to be Brugh leaving the house. The man then walked back inside. A SWAT negotiation team was deployed to attempt to contact Brugh via a loudspeaker and the home's telephone. Brugh's parents told police he had access to weapons in the house. "I've collected weapons for years," said Joe Brugh, the suspect's father. Joe said Charles has had problems with methamphetamine use since his teens. Charles was most recently arrested on charges of possession of dangerous drugs for sale and misconduct involving weapons, Masters said. He also had a prior arrest on charges of aggravated assault. Both warrants issued against Charles were probation-violation warrants, Masters said. Charles had been living at home for nearly a year, and Joe said he was aware of the warrants issued against his son. "We've been trying to get him into counseling," he said. Shortly after 6:20 p.m., three booms could be heard in the surrounding neighborhood as police used an air-percussion device to attract Charles' attention. At about 6:45 p.m., Masters said Brugh answered a call from negotiators and agreed to surrender. Brugh was booked into the Tempe City Jail in connection with the two warrants. Brugh did not make any statements to police or the media after he was taken into custody. The standoff attracted curious neighbors, but hundreds of schoolchildren spent extra hours in school. Scales Elementary School, located two blocks north of the standoff site, went into a lockdown shortly after police responded to the scene, keeping students well past the usual 2:50 p.m. dismissal time. About 450 of the 500 students at the school normally walk or ride bicycles home after school, said Tempe Elementary School District spokeswoman Monica Allread. About 5 p.m., the school began releasing students to parents or guardians who had to present identification before the children were released. "It got boring," said fifth-grader James Benavidez, who stayed at the school until almost 6 p.m. "We got done with our homework [and] there's nothing to do except sit there." Reach the reporter at brian.indrelunas@asu.edu.