Ferdinand Woman Arrested After Armed Standoff, Three Hostages Reported Safe

Jamie Gonzalez, a 45-year-old Ferdinand woman, was arrested Friday afternoon after an Indiana State Police SWAT team breached her home at 10598 South 50 West and subdued her with a taser, ending a standoff that began when a caller told 911 she was homicidal, armed, and holding three hostages.

The call came in to Dubois County dispatchers at approximately 4:15 p.m. The caller, identified across multiple agency accounts as a female, told authorities she was homicidal, had a firearm, and claimed three hostages were inside the residence. Deputies from the Dubois County Sheriff's Office responded, secured the area, and established a perimeter around the rural home.

Early in the response, the situation took an unusual turn. According to the Dubois County Sheriff's Office, Gonzalez walked outside carrying a glass jar filled with liquid that officers believed resembled a Molotov cocktail. She then refused to follow officers' commands and went back inside the home. To gather information without further escalation, officers broke a window and deployed a small drone into the residence. What the drone showed contradicted the hostage report entirely: Gonzalez was alone inside, standing and yelling to herself.

Despite that finding, she refused to come out. Officers attempted to deploy chemical gas into the home to encourage her to exit, but the effort proved unsuccessful. With the standoff unresolved, the Indiana State Police SWAT team was requested to the scene.

SWAT operators made entry into the residence, where Gonzalez resisted. She was tased before being taken into custody. After her apprehension, she was transferred to a staged ambulance and escorted for medical evaluation before being booked into the Dubois County Security Center.

Gonzalez was arrested on two outstanding felony warrants. According to the Dubois County Sheriff's Office, she now faces additional pending charges including battery resulting in bodily injury, possession of a legend drug, and resisting law enforcement. Authorities are also working to determine the origin of the false hostage report and whether additional charges related to the glass jar incident or the initial 911 call are warranted.

Seven agencies assisted in Friday's response: the Ferdinand Police Department, Jasper Police Department, Deaconess Memorial EMS, St. Henry First Responders, Indiana State Police SWAT, an Indiana Conservation Officer, and the Dubois County Communication Center.

Friday's standoff is the second major tactical operation in Dubois County within the past two weeks. On March 3, a multi-agency sweep dubbed Operation: Snow White led to the arrest of 11 individuals across Jasper, Huntingburg, and Ferdinand. The sheriff's office has not linked Gonzalez to those arrests. The investigation into Friday's events remains active.