Man taken into custody in Whitewater standoff

Incident is unrelated to Rock County manhunt

WHITEWATER, Wis. — A man who barricaded himself inside a family member’s home in Whitewater, causing a police standoff, has been taken into custody, Whitewater police said.

The Whitewater Police Department said officers responded at 1:50 p.m. to a report of a person who had a weapon in his waistband. The man, later identified as 31-year-old Daniel S. Erdman of Whitewater, was confronted by a parent outside Whitewater Middle School. The school’s resource officer was notified of the incident and police responded.

Police set up a perimeter at 2:30 p.m. around a family member’s home at 1033 W. Walworth Ave. where Erdman was holed up and refusing to come out.

Police said Erdman was taken into custody without incident around 7 p.m. The Walworth County District Attorney’s Office will consider charges against him.

District Administrator Mark Elworthy said police notified the school district at 1:55 p.m. about an upset parent who intended to visit the middle school, 401 S. Elizabeth St. Schools were locked down. At 2:45 p.m., the district was notified that police had made contact with the parent who was in close proximity to school property, and schools remained on a lockdown.

Elworthy said officials started evacuating students from the high school, middle school and Lincoln Elementary to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Young Auditorium at 3:30 p.m.

The district said the incident is not related to the ongoing manhunt in the area for Joseph Jakubowski.

Faculty, staff and students will be able to return to district schools to collect belongings and vehicles, police said.

High school, middle school and Lincoln Elementary School students were able to be released to parents at the site after checking out with a district employee. The school will bus students who need a ride home, Elworthy said.

Parents of Lakeview and Washington elementary students were able to pick up their children at the schools.

The district said after-school activities Friday were canceled, including the middle school’s production of the “Alice in Wonderland Jr.” musical. Saturday events at district sites are scheduled to take place, police said.

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