pleaded not guilty Friday, claiming he was mistreated by officers and shot in the face with a beanbag during the incident.
John Madison Melbraaten, 43, appeared remotely from the Park County Detention Center before Circuit Court Judge Joseph Darrah. He faces a misdemeanor charge of interference with a peace officer-obstruction.
Melbraaten entered a plea of not guilty and was given a $5,000 cash-only bond with drug conditions and firearm restrictions at the request of Deputy Park County Prosecuting Attorney Marina Tucker.
The Incident
According to an affidavit of probable cause filed in Melbraaten’s case, Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation Special Agent Jonathan Shane Reece was investigating the shipment of suspected controlled substances to a Cody address.
The package was addressed to John Melbraaten, but the address on it was his mother’s.
When Reece arrived at the residence, Melbraaten was spotted in the driver’s seat of a 2003 Lincoln LS sedan, and when contacted by the agent refused to roll down the window or remove his hand from his pocket despite multiple requests.
When Reece informed Melbraaten of an active warrant for his arrest for felony drug possession out of Hot Springs County, Melbraaten attempted to reverse his vehicle and flee the scene.
Reece said he also saw Melbraaten pull a revolver from his pocket as he drove away, but he didn’t get very far.
Melbraaten reversed past Reece's vehicle and into a chain-link fence, the affidavit says. He then drove down the street, around the corner and parked his vehicle behind a bush in the 2600 block of E Avenue.
When officers found Melbraaten, he had barricaded himself inside his vehicle with a handgun pointed at his head, the affidavit says.
After officers made contact with him via cellphone, Melbraaten repeatedly stated he “wished to kill himself instead of being arrested for his outstanding warrant,” and repeatedly put the firearm up to his head, the affidavit says.
At one point, Melbraaten left the vehicle and appeared “uncoordinated,” saying he needed to use the restroom. Officers repeatedly asked him to put his hands up, but he kept them in his pockets.
Officers deployed non-lethal beanbags to prevent Melbraaten from drawing a concealed firearm and returning to his vehicle. However, Melbraaten managed to get back to his vehicle and barricaded himself inside again.
After several hours barricaded in the vehicle, Reece managed to get Melbraaten to surrender without incident.
At first, Melbraaten refused to disclose where he had hidden the firearm he had in the vehicle, and it was not found after a cursory search.
He later divulged that he had stowed it in the vehicle’s headliner, where officers found a Smith & Wesson .38-caliber revolver loaded with five live rounds.
Multiple law enforcement agencies were engaged in an armed standoff with a suspect in a residential area of Cody on Jan. 21, 2026, that included non-lethal shots being fired. The suspect was told over a loudspeaker to “come out with your hands up." (Andrew Rossi, Cowboy State Daily) 
Multiple law enforcement agencies were engaged in an armed standoff with a suspect in a residential area of Cody on Jan. 21, 2026, that included non-lethal shots being fired. The suspect was told over a loudspeaker to “come out with your hands up." (Andrew Rossi, Cowboy State Daily) 
Multiple law enforcement agencies were engaged in an armed standoff with a suspect in a residential area of Cody on Jan. 21, 2026, that included non-lethal shots being fired. The suspect was told over a loudspeaker to “come out with your hands up." (Andrew Rossi, Cowboy State Daily)
In Court
During Melbraaten’s Friday hearing, Tucker emphasized the seriousness of the circumstances surrounding his case, despite only being charged with a misdemeanor.
She cited his reckless driving, initial unwillingness to disclose the location of the firearm, and history of prior criminal offenses, which include several DUIs and felony drug possession.
Melbraaten was arrested in April 2025 for possession of a controlled narcotic substance and burglary tools, among other similar charges.
When he got a chance to argue against the $5,000 cash-only bond request Friday, Melbraaten wanted to argue about the specifics of his charges.
He said the felony drug possession warrant out of Hot Springs County was for “bong water” and “didn’t meet the criteria” for a felony charge.
He also said that law enforcement officers acted in a dangerous manner and mistreated him during the hourslong standoff.
He claimed he was “shot with beanbags in the face” during the standoff, which nearly broke his jaw.
“What’s been done against me is far worse than anything they say I’ve done,” Melbraaten said.
According to the affidavit, Melbraaten was evaluated by Cody Regional Medical staff at the scene when the standoff ended and was cleared for detention.
He arrived at the Park County Detention Center “in good condition,” the affidavit says.
Before he went any further, Circuit Court Judge Joseph Darrah told Melbraaten that it wasn’t in his best interest to continue talking about the incident at the plea hearing, as anything he said could be used against him in trial.
Darrah asked if Melbraaten had an attorney. Melbraaten said he was “undecided,” but would not need a court-appointed attorney, so Darrah treated him as if he were representing himself going forward.
“You have 10 days to hire an attorney,” Darrah said. “It is exceedingly in your interest to have counsel (in this case).”
Darrah set a jury trial for June 18. With that, the hearing concluded, and Melbraaten was dismissed.
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
