BEDFORD– A man with an active warrant for violating a protection order was taken into custody Tuesday evening after attempting to evade law enforcement inside a residence on State Road 158.
At approximately 5:15 p.m. on March 4, Sgt. Compton and Officer James arrived at the residence in the 6000 block of SR 158 to serve a warrant on Robert D. Quintana. Upon arrival, officers observed several children in the front yard and a man matching Quintana’s description on the front porch. The residence is owned by Quintana’s ex-wife and the victim in a pending case against him.
After knocking several times without receiving a response, officers attempted to survey the interior of the home. An officer observed signs of recent activity through a kitchen window, including a skillet on the stove and freshly cut vegetables on the counter. Based on these observations, a search warrant was requested and granted by Judge Nikirk at 6:13 p.m.
Officers used a PA system to announce their presence and the warrant, urging Quintana to surrender peacefully to avoid escalation. Multiple attempts to contact both the residence’s owner and Quintana by phone were unsuccessful. When officers approached the back of the residence, Quintana was seen attempting to flee before retreating inside and locking the door.
After forced entry into the basement, officers detected the odor of marijuana and encountered Quintana’s ex-wife at the top of the stairwell. She denied Quintana was present, but a subsequent search led to his discovery hiding behind a piece of furniture. Following verbal commands, Quintana surrendered and was taken into custody without further incident.
During questioning, she expressed displeasure with law enforcement’s presence and claimed she had not been informed of the search warrant. Officers reminded her of their multiple announcements and attempts to communicate. When asked about the presence of marijuana, she claimed it was legal THC. Upon inspection, the packaging held no evidentiary value.
Further questioning revealed that she had requested the protection order’s dismissal and claimed no one had followed up with her regarding the initial report from December. Officers reminded her that the warrant was issued in February based on that report. When informed that she could face charges for assisting a criminal, she responded, “You mean my abuser?”
Quintana was transported to the Lawrence County Security Center on his active warrant, with additional charges of Protection Order Violation and Resisting by Fleeing. The case remains under investigation.
Those arrested are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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