Standoff ensues after eviction workers report that man brandished gun in Modesto

A man holed up in a Modesto house after three workers who were there to help evict him said he brandished a shotgun at them.

A crew with Magic Cleaners, whose services include working with property managers on evictions, was at 613 Danube Court to cut through a metal-covered door if necessary, said owner Todd Sleeman.

They arrived shortly before Stanislaus County sheriff’s deputies, who would conduct the eviction. They set their tools on the front porch, then went to wait in their truck for deputies to arrive.

This wasn’t the first attempt to evict the resident, who must have seen or heard them outside, Sleeman said. About 8:15 a.m., “he opens the door, takes our tools, brandishes a 12-gauge pump, jacked one in (the chamber) and said he was going to shoot us.”

Sleeman said he’s been verbally assaulted at other evictions and had knives pulled on him, but the gun was a first. “We bailed,” he said, and left the truck and trailer in the court.

Several units from the Sheriff’s Department and Modesto Police Department converged on Danube and Dallas Street. Carrying shields and rifles, they ordered the man out of the house. A woman and dog came out, but the man reported to have brandished the gun did not.

A relative of the man arrived at the scene and asked authorities to let the man know she had a place for him to stay and to store his belongings.

Shortly before 10 a.m., law enforcement officers drove Sleeman’s truck and trailer out of the court, then withdrew their own vehicles and personnel.

The man had committed only a misdemeanor – brandishing a weapon – so officers were leaving the scene to let him cool down, said police spokeswoman Heather Graves. They would revisit the scene later, she said.

Officers spoke with neighbors and told them to immediately call police if there was any more trouble, Graves said.

Family members then went to the home to speak to the man and were warned to loudly let him know it was them outside, not authorities.

This story was originally published January 17, 2017 at 9:47 AM with the headline "Standoff ensues after eviction workers report that man brandished gun in Modesto."