Yihyun Jeong

The Republic | azcentral.com

Standoff lasted 7 hours, involved Casa Grande police, Pinal County SWAT team.

House's drywall is buckled and attic is collapsing.

Powdered chemical residue blankets the home, covering wrecked furniture, electronics, clothing and other exposed valuables.

A Casa Grande homeowner is left with an estimated $50,000 bill and many questions after his home was wrecked in a seven-hour standoff between authorities and a wanted man who took refuge in his residence.

James Derby, who has been displaced from his home, said he believes Casa Grande police and the Pinal County Regional SWAT Team greatly overreacted to the barricade situation that took place Dec. 17.

Derby was shopping when he received several calls from his friends and neighbors that his home, located near Center Avenue and 10th Street, was surrounded by police and SWAT vehicles. He rushed home only to be stopped at the end of the street, where he was told that authorities were in a standoff with Abram Ochoa, who had taken shelter in his home.

Shortly before 3 p.m., Ochoa, 31, had been running from officers who were responding to a possible domestic dispute at a home nearby, said Thomas Anderson, a spokesman for the Casa Grande Police Department.

Officers were familiar with Ochoa, who was wanted on a slew of outstanding warrants involving contempt of court and a felony drug charge. He had also been sought for questioning in connection with several retail thefts, said Anderson.

Ochoa refused numerous orders to exit the home on his own accord, said Anderson, prompting police to activate the SWAT team, who began shooting tear gas into the home.

Ochoa's surrender didn't come until about 10 p.m.

"We wanted a resolution much sooner, but the most important thing was that it ended peacefully and nobody got hurt," Anderson said.

He added that standard protocol was followed during the operation and that officers used common tactics in the standoff.

"For the safety of our officers, we took our time," Anderson said. "We don't want to rush into a home where the subject could be armed and could shoot one of our officers. In a perfect scenario, the matter would have been resolved in a timely manner and he would've come out immediately."

However, Derby is left with wondering who's going to pay for the damage left behind.

Derby said he counted nearly 30 concussion grenades strewn in his home. Broken glass from shattered windows litters the home, and the window frames are bent and need repair. For now, they have been boarded up.

The front yard fence is left in ruins from where the SWAT team used a battering vehicle to gain access to the home.

Inside, the walls are damaged from the grenades, which buckled the drywall, and the attic is falling apart due to compromised infrastructure, said Robert Atchen of REA Construction, a private contractor who was called to evaluate the damages.

Powdered chemical residue blankets the home, covering wrecked furniture, electronics, clothing and other exposed valuables.

"The whole place is contaminated, everything. I was shocked." Derby said. "You're dizzy. It's like getting hit in the head."

"It's just destroyed," Atchen said. "I would say that it would cost up to $50,000 to make repairs. But in my opinion, the home should be knocked over and they should start fresh."

"They need to start building me a new house. Let's not waste any time here," said Derby, who has given his insurance company Atchen's estimate. He said he has has started the claim process.

Larry Rains, Casa Grande deputy city manager, said the Derby's case is a first.

"In my time here, I don't recall a case where we had a suspect break into an innocent person's home," he said. "We certainly understand that is a circumstance where the homeowner finds himself in a truly unfortunate situation. But I've been told we have not been contacted by the homeowner, nor do we fully understand the extent of the damage in the terms of repair."

Joe Pyritz, Pinal County's communications director, said that he advises Derby to file a claim and let the process take its course.

"From the process perspective, it would be similar to any insurance exchange," he said. "The homeowner will make a notice claim with the county supervisors, and that claim will get forwarded to our insurance."

Pyritz said any county compensation would require another evaluation and that because the standoff included the Pinal County Regional SWAT Team, the insurance company would have to conduct an investigation to see whether those deputies were at fault for the damage.

"If I was in this situation, I would want to see who is at fault and try to get the process started immediately," he said.

Derby said the home, which he calls a family heirloom, can't be easily replaced.

"My grandmother's mom and dad homesteaded this property and farmed in Casa Grande in the early 1900s," he said. "I want somebody to stand up and say, 'We've made a mistake, we will fix it.' "