***UPDATE- Standoff in Marion Ends Peacefully***Marion City Schools Cancel Classes Amid Police Presence

A situation in Marion has forced schools in that city to close today.

The Marion Police Department put out an advisory early this morning informing the public to avoid Silver Street, between Edwards and Niles, until further notice.

They said that was due to a police presence in the area.

A short time later and citing several circumstances beyond their control, Marion City School officials announced that classes would be cancelled today.

No information concerning the situation involving Marion police has been released at this time.

This is the complete release fromt he Marion Police Department:

On October 5, 2026, Marion police officers attempted to serve an active arrest warrant at a residence in the 700 block of Silver Street.

Upon making contact at the residence, officers identified the individual inside as the subject of the active warrant. Officers entered the residence and encountered a male subject seated in a chair with a firearm pointed at his head. Officers immediately withdrew from the residence and began coordinating a response to the armed, barricaded subject.

The Marion Police Department’s Special Response Team (SRT) and Hostage Negotiation Team were activated to assist with the incident and work toward a safe resolution. During the standoff, the suspect made multiple threats to harm himself and threatened to kill law enforcement officers who approached the residence.

Additional personnel and resources from the Ohio State Highway Patrol Special Response Team were requested to assist the Marion Combined Special Response Team. The Crawford County Special Response Team also responded near the conclusion of the incident to provide additional assistance and resources.

Negotiators made repeated attempts to establish communication with the suspect and peacefully resolve the situation. The suspect eventually stopped responding to efforts to negotiate a peaceful surrender and continued making threats toward law enforcement officers.

As the situation continued, members of the Special Response Team deployed chemical agents into the residence and created additional openings in the structure, including breaking windows and doors and venting portions of the residence. These efforts were intended to locate and safely remove the suspect, who remained uncooperative and continued to pose a threat to himself, the public and law enforcement officers.

Shortly after 9:30 a.m. on October 6, officers engaged the suspect near a doorway of the residence and deployed less-lethal options, including bean-bag rounds and pepper ball projectiles. During the confrontation, the suspect fired multiple shots at law enforcement officers.

No lethal weapons were fired by law enforcement officers during the incident.

Officers continued working to locate and safely apprehend the suspect. After extensive efforts to locate him within the residence, officers engaged the suspect with multiple less-lethal rounds. The less-lethal tactics ultimately allowed officers to take the suspect into custody without further incident.
H
arold L. White, 64, of Marion, was arrested and is being held on charges of two counts of Attempted Murder, Failure to Appear on an active warrant, Resisting Arrest, and other firearm charges. Formal charges will be presented to the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office.

The Marion Police Department would like to recognize the members of the Marion Combined Special Response Team, Marion Hostage Negotiation Team, Ohio State Highway Patrol Special Response Team, and Crawford County Special Response Team for their assistance and professionalism throughout this extended and dangerous incident.

“I want to thank all the assisting agencies for their help in bringing this ten-hour standoff to a peaceful conclusion. Our officers utilized every technique to help end this peacefully and we are grateful that no serious injuries were reported by any citizen, officer or suspect” said Marion Police Chief Jay McDonald.

The investigation remains ongoing, and additional charges may be presented as the case is reviewed by the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office.