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Anatomy of a standoff
POCATELLO - A local man who helped his neighbor keep an intruder cornered until police arrived early Monday said he likely would have shot the man had he felt more threatened.
''I was off safety and ready to shoot,'' said Dale Hatcher. ''I am thankful I didn't have to kill him.'' Hatcher lives on Sonoma Street where it intersects with Hillview Drive in the Satterfield neighborhood of Pocatello. A residence on the 2000 block of Hillview was the location of a home invasion around 3 a.m. Hatcher said he and his wife were awakened by a woman's screams.
''I grabbed a pistol from out of my night stand and went to my front porch,'' Hatcher said. That's when he saw his neighbor and good friend, Robert Mandziara, frantically looking for help. Mandziara's wife, who had been pounding on a neighbor's door and screaming for help, She and one of her children, were now safely inside the neighbor's home.
Mandziara now sought help to rescue his other two children, still sleeping, from the intruder in his home. ''I went back in the house and grabbed my shotgun and gave it to Robert,'' Hatcher said. ''He told me the suspect was still in the garage.''
Police suspect that Dean C. Miller Jr., 39, allegedly gained access to the Mandziara home through an unlocked side door to the garage. The Mandziara's awoke to find Miller allegedly pointing a shotgun at them - a shotgun Hatcher said Miller took from Mandziara's bedroom closet. According to a court filing, the couple said Miller planned to keep them until their bank opened in the morning and they could draw out money for him from their account.
Within minutes of the ordeal's start, Mandziara physically confronted Miller when the alleged kidnapper looked out a window, taking his gaze off the couple. It was then that Mandziara's wife fled the home with the child, according to the court filing. Mandziara was able to temporarily get the shotgun away from Miller and even hit him with it, before opting to flee to safety as well.
Hatcher believes Mandziara may have been concerned that a hard blow to Miller's head seemed to have little affect on the would-be kidnapper. As Mandziara left his home, his wife was being taken in by neighbors and Hatcher was responding to the cries for help. Now armed with his friend's shotgun, Mandziara took a position outside the side door to the garage where they believed Miller was. Hatcher went into the home through the front door and headed to the garage.
Hatcher was familiar with the layout because the two friends have a similar floor plans in their respective homes. Hatcher quickly went through the laundry room to the door that led to the garage. A little too quickly, he said in hindsight. ''I went in too fast,'' Hatcher said. ''I was not thinking at the time about taking cover.''
As Hatcher got to the open garage door, he spotted Miller, who he said was laying about 15 feet away on the garage floor. Miller was in a prone position on his right side and behind a table and had the shotgun pointed at Hatcher from beneath the table. ''(Miller) said he would take my legs out,'' Hatcher said. ''I told him to put the shotgun down.''
Eventually, Miller blinked. He put the shotgun down, stood and raised his arms, just as Hatcher said he had instructed the alleged intruder. That's when Hatcher started to notice some fairly odd behavior from Miller. ''He said, 'Go ahead and kill me. Some bad people are after me,''' Hatcher said. ''Then he started backing away from me and toward the (side) door. I told him to stay where he was.'' That's when Miller pulled out a knife. Hatcher said it was a multi-use tool with pliers and other items, including a 4 or 5-inch blade. ''He acted at one point like he would slit his wrist,'' Hatcher said. ''I can't remember how many times I told him to put the knife down.'' While Hatcher said the scene in the garage seemed to last 20 minutes or more, he believes it was only about 10 minutes before police showed up. The officers opened the large garage door and Hatcher moved out of their way. It took about an hour of attempting to negotiate Miller out of the garage before Pocatello police said they had to Taser Miller to subdue him. Hatcher is an avid hunter and fisherman who said his father taught him to handle guns at an early age. He also has competed in scenario-based pistol competitions and has other firearms training, he said. ''I think all the practice shooting over the years helped me to keep my cool,'' Hatcher said. Miller is in Bannock County jail and his bond is set at $300,000. He has been charged with first-degree kidnapping, burglary, possession of methamphetamine and assault with intent to commit robbery, all felonies. Although first-degree kidnapping is a capital crime in Idaho, Miller likely faces up to life in prison if convicted. Prosecutors are also seeking an enhancement charging Miller with the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony which could add 15 years fixed in prison if he is convicted. Hatcher said he is just relieved no one was hurt in the incident. As it turned out, the shotgun Miller was allegedly holding, was not loaded. That didn't matter at the time, however. ''You always treat them as if they are loaded,'' Hatcher said. ''In that situation, if I had perceived more of a threat (from Miller), there would have been no hesitation. I would fired.'' By Jimmy Hancock
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