It took about four hours and a SWAT team from Campbell County to roust a reportedly armed Newcastle man out of a home Monday while trying to arrest him on a warrant for a parole violation.
The man, identified by Weston County Circuit Court records as Brandon Suess (born in 1985) barricaded himself in a home on West Railroad Street after police responded to a tip he was there, the Newcastle Police Department reports.
“Upon arrival at the residence, law enforcement confirmed the subject was in the residence and discovered he was barricaded in a storage space on the top floor,” the report says.
That was at about 9:45 a.m., Newcastle Police Chief Derek Thompson told Cowboy State Daily on Tuesday.
Once the house had been checked to make sure there were no other people or animals in the house, officers made contact with Suess (pronounced Seese), who said he wouldn’t comply with orders to come out, the report says.
“The subject advised law enforcement officers on scene he would not willingly surrender and stated he had a firearm,” according to the report. “Additional law enforcement was dispatched to the scene for perimeter security and traffic control.”
During the roughly four-hour standoff, police were in contact with Suess “intermittently,” Thompson said.
“We tried to negotiate with him, and I use that term lightly. None of us are trained negotiators, but we tried to talk him out of there,” he said.
During those contacts at different times, Suess asked for cigarettes at one point and some chewing tobacco at another, Thompson said. He never got them, because he wouldn’t willingly come out of the room he was holed up in.
Eventually, Campbell County SWAT personnel using bullet-proof shields breached the door to the storage area and took Suess into custody, the chief said.
While Suess had said he had a gun and had threatened to use it, a firearm wasn’t found in the room after his arrest, Thompson said.
Members of the Cambpell County Sheriff's Office SWAT team respond to a standoff at a home in Newcastle on Monday, March 23, 2026. (Courtesy Newcastle Police Department) 
Brandon Suess is taken into custody after a four-hour standoff with police in Newcastle, Wyoming, on Monday, March 23, 2026. (Courtesy Newcastle Police Department)
SWAT
As it became evident a standoff situation was unfolding, Newcastle police made a call to the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office for assistance from its tactical response team (SWAT), along with an ambulance from Campbell County Health.
“Given the dangerous nature of the situation at hand and the threat of a firearm being involved, the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team was called to assist,” the department’s report says.
The SWAT team has equipment and training the Newcastle Police Department doesn’t, Thompson said, including bullet-proof shields.
“It really is reassuring,” he said about the willingness of the CCSO to share its tactical response team. “It’s a favor they do for us that we’re really blessed for.
“It’s hard to say how that situation would’ve turned out or how long it could’ve taken without them.”
Sometimes, just the presence of a SWAT team is enough to end a standoff, Thompson said.
“I haven’t had a lot of experience working with a SWAT team being in small (jurisdictions), but I remember one incident when SWAT showed up,” he said. “The guy saw them and just came out and laid down in the yard.”
While that didn’t happen with Suess, the outcome was the best he could’ve hoped for, Thompson said.
“He didn’t get hurt, and they didn’t get hurt, everybody’s safe, and we didn’t tear things up,” he said. “So, all ended well.”
Brandon Suess is taken into custody after a four-hour standoff with police in Newcastle, Wyoming, on Monday, March 23, 2026. (Courtesy Newcastle Police Department) 
Members of the Cambpell County Sheriff's Office SWAT team respond to a standoff at a home in Newcastle on Monday, March 23, 2026. (Courtesy Newcastle Police Department)
Up To 10 Years
Along with seven members of its SWAT team, Campbell County also brought its military MRAP vehicle — a large, armored tank-looking truck.
“We took over more equipment than we used, because it’s always better to have it and not need it than the other way around,” said Dan Maul, the agency’s tactical commander.
“Primarily, we used handheld shields and our personal sidearms and a couple of rifles,” for Monday’s response, he said. “We did not have to use any force beyond presence, essentially.”
He said Campbell County Sheriff Scott Matheny is “very supportive of outside agencies, as are our county commissioners, using our resources for the purpose of public safety.”
As for Suess, aside from the warrant he was wanted on originally, he now faces two additional charges of interference with a peace officer.
One of those charges is a felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a fine of not more than $10,000, or both, according to the Weston County Circuit Court.
The other interference charge is a misdemeanor that carries a sentence of up to a year of imprisonment and a $1,000 fine.
Suess is scheduled to make his initial court appearance Wednesday, at which time he can request a public defender, if he chooses to.
Greg Johnson can be reached at greg@cowboystatedaily.com.
