Whipple sentenced for meat cleaver incident
A man who stood atop his house clutching a meat cleaver was sentenced to five years in prison for his five-hour standoff with lawmen this past November.
The defendant, Robert Troy Whipple, 36, entered guilty pleas recently to charges of aggravated assault, evading arrest, driving on a revoked license third-offense and violation of probation. He was directed to serve five years in prison, plus he must additionally serve the balance of a former sentence because his probation was violated.
It was the probation violation charge which sparked the standoff when deputies went to pick up Whipple at the Poss Lane residence. Whipple reportedly took refuge on top of the roof, carrying a meat cleaver, knives, car batteries and a pitchfork when officers arrived. Whipple then started threatening to harm himself and officers while atop the roof.
The roof, according to Sheriff Jackie Matheny, was unusually high, spanning about three stories in the air. A fall from that height could have been fatal.
Negotiations went on for most of the morning while firemen stood by, awaiting possible orders to blow Whipple off the roof with a high-pressure hose. However, members of the SWAT team were able to maneuver undetected across the roof and surprise Whipple from behind, stunning him with a taser, ending the morning-long standoff.