On Saturday, April 6, 2024 at about 6:45 pm, Lake County 911 took the report of a domestic violence incident that had taken place at a residence on Kerr Dam Rd. The victim had left the residence and a relative reported the assault to 911 after seeing the victim’s injuries. Deputies responded to the residence at about 7:30 and made contact with the suspect, 63-year-old, Rick Riebe, who immediately made threats to shoot the officers. Riebe barricaded himself in the home, continuing to threaten to shoot officers who were attempting to de-escalate the situation. Riebe exited the home armed with a shotgun but returned inside barricading himself again. Attempts were made via phone to negotiate with Riebe who refused attempts to resolve the matter peacefully. Flathead County SWAT had been requested and arrived on the scene at around 10:30pm.
Negotiations were continual but fruitless and at 11:30 pm, chemical agent munitions were deployed inside the residence to compel Riebe to exit the home. Riebe then began repeatedly firing his shotgun and a rifle at various locations where officers were present. No officers were injured, nor did they return fire due to not knowing his exact location in the home. 15 minutes later, Riebe exited the residence and was subdued by a K9. Riebe was booked into the Lake County jail on an outstanding warrant, charges of Partner or Family Member Assault, Assault on an Officer, and Criminal Endangerment. Other charges are pending. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office would like to extend our gratitude to the Flathead SWAT team, and all area agencies who rendered assistance in this dangerous incident.
Donald R. Bell – Sheriff