CASPER — A 19-year-old man who held an 18-month-old child in front of him like a shield during an armed standoff with police plans to enter a change of plea on the four misdemeanor charges he faces.
Brayden Donald Randolph appeared in Casper Circuit Court on Monday with his attorney, Keith Nachbar, for a scheduled hearing before Judge Kevin Taheri, his first court appearance to determine the status of his case.
Nachbar told the judge that his client plans to put the charges he faces behind him.
“We can do a change of plea and sentencing at the same time,” he said, telling the judge that he would need about two hours of the court’s time.
Natrona County Assistant District Attorney Kristen Strube agreed with the assessment of the time needed.
Taheri said a date would be set.
Charges against Randolph include reckless endangerment, child endangerment, being a minor in possession of alcohol and interference with a peace officer.
Court records show Randolph is free on a $7,500 cash or surety bond with one bond requirement — daily drug and alcohol testing.
Randolph’s encounter with the Casper Police Department started about 9:30 p.m. on April 18, part of which was shown in the release of dramatic police body-cam video of officers first calling for Randolph to surrender with his hands up.
Then after a two-hour standoff, officers were shown busting into his apartment in the 1000 block of St. John Street in North Casper and bringing out a toddler.
A report from the department at the time emphasized their attempt to de-escalate the situation.
A neighbor told Cowboy State Daily that when he arrived to his home around 6 p.m. that day, he initially heard singing and yelling and a party atmosphere from the apartment.
Gunshot And Threats
When he went outside after hearing a gunshot just before 9:30 p.m., the neighbor said he saw two young people fleeing in a vehicle and heard Randolph threatening to kill them.
A police affidavit on the case states an officer talked to the neighbor, went to Randolph’s apartment and knocked on the door. Randolph yelled through the door telling the officer to leave.
“Randolph yelled he had a gun,” the affidavit states. “Randolph closed the blinds of the residence to limit (the officer’s) ability to see what happened inside.”
The officer observed broken glass on the floor and a vodka bottle on the kitchen counter.
He also saw Randolph walk away from a living room and pick up an AR-style firearm with the buttstock removed and try to put the buttstock back on the rifle.
Officers were advised that a small child was in the residence, and a short time later Randolph was seen walking into the living room holding the child’s hand.
According to the affidavit, Randolph opened the door of the apartment telling officers to leave the area and at that time had a handgun in the waistband of his pants.
Child Held ‘Like A Shield’
He then went into the apartment and reappeared holding the 18-month-old child “like a shield” while grabbing the handgrip of the handgun still in his waistband.
“Randolph told officers he had a gun and officers had guns and Randolph challenged officers to get him,” the affidavit states. “Randolph went back into the house.”
Another Casper officer contacted and spoke with a 20-year-old man who had fled the house and was told that Randolph had fired a gun during an argument, then he and another man left, the affidavit states.
Police report the child’s mother arrived at the residence around 9:35 p.m. and tried to contact Randolph several times without a response.
The affidavit states a Natrona County Sheriff’s Office negotiator was called to the scene and tried to establish contact with Randolph and was unsuccessful.
After a request for a warrant for Randolph’s arrest was received about 11:30 p.m., two Casper police officers went to the north side of the ground-floor apartment where a bedroom was located and saw Randolph sleeping on the floor, on his back.
The child was asleep on his shoulder. No weapons were visible, the affidavit states.
Officers tried to use a key to enter the apartment that was identified by the child’s mother as being in Randolph’s vehicle.
When that did not work, they used a door ram to enter the apartment.
Resisting Arrest
Officers went to the bedroom, removed the child, and Randolph “tried to resist.”
“While handcuffing Randolph, he attempted to roll away from officers and took hold of (an officer’s) foot,” the affidavit states. “(The officer) was able to break Randolph’s hold and Randolph was detained without further incident.”
Officers found a loaded firearm underneath Randolph, the affidavit states.
The reckless endangerment charge carries a potential penalty of one year in jail.
The child endangerment charge and interference with a peace officer charges also carry a penalty of up to one year in jail and $1,000 fines.
The minor in possession charge is punishable by up to six months in jail and a $750 fine.
Dale Killingbeck can be reached at dale@cowboystatedaily.com.
