Police: Weeks of stalking and harassment preceded standoff

Police responded to the victim’s home on Bluebird Lane after her burglary alarm was set off around 5 a.m. The victim had been staying out of town to get away from Blackburn while a friend watched her house.

The victim had remote access to security cameras in her home and sent police clips of Blackburn entering her house. She told police Blackburn set off the alarm while attempting to disarm it. The victim was unsure if he was still in the house.

Officers searched the yard and saw the doors were barricaded with household items. The victim said she had barricaded the doors in an attempt to keep Blackburn out.

Police called the SWAT team because Blackburn had experience with explosives. An officer went to Blackburn’s home on South Berlin Road, and found Blackburn on his front porch.

Blackburn reportedly returned inside his house upon seeing the officer. The SWAT team moved to Blackburn’s residence. After several hours Blackburn exited the residence with his hands up and was arrested at about 10 a.m. He refused to speak with the officers until he spoke with an attorney.

The victim had reported Blackburn to law enforcement several times before for breaking into her house, but he had always fled before police arrived, and could not be found at his house. In January she reported that Blackburn set off a pipe bomb near her house, shattering the window. The two were living together at the time.

That same month Blackburn had “entrapped” the victim in her car, according to the affidavit. In February, the victim told Blackburn to move out of her house and requested a civil protection order against him. He refused to move out, locked the victim in her house and changed the codes to her home security system.

Officers were not able to serve the protection order until Blackburn was arrested. While responding to a call from the victim on March 18, police observed lights on in Blackburn’s house. The windows were boarded up. Police were concerned about Blackburn’s behavior and sent an email to patrol officers alerting them of his actions.

The affidavit lists the incidents that police responded to in March.

On March 10, Blackburn reportedly entered the victim’s house at 3:30 a.m. to talk to her. Over the next few days, Blackburn and several of his family members contacted the victim. On March 14, a pizza was delivered to her house, and a taxi arrived to pick her up. The victim hadn’t ordered the pizza or called a taxi.

On March 18, the victim and a friend observed Blackburn standing outside her house at 11 p.m. Blackburn reportedly tore down a security camera and banged on the door while the victim and her friend barricaded themselves in a bathroom.

The victim left her house to escape Blackburn. Her burglary went off around 6 a.m. March 19. The screen to a doggie door was found broken. Police suspect Blackburn attempted to enter through the doggie door, but one of the victim’s dogs entered first and set off the alarm.

The victim asked police to remove items from her property that Blackburn had left behind. She suspected the items had been used for making explosives.

Police found various types of ammunition and a yellow object suspected of being a makeshift bomb.

Blackburn was charged with first-degree stalking, punishable with up to five years in prison, and burglary, punishable with up to 10 years in prison. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. April 3 in Bonneville County Courthouse.