Evansville standoff began with DCI warrant for ‘narcotics and narcotics distribution’ | Casper

Blaine Clutter was found dead in the home near Evansville Elementary on March 19, after a nearly 18-hour negotiation with officers. Whether he died by his own hand or by shots fired from police remains under investigation. 

Matt Waldock, a DCI commander based in Casper, said in an email that the agency had been serving both a search warrant and an arrest warrant on Clutter, 29, at the time, “all surrounding narcotics and narcotics distribution.” Previously, law enforcement had declined to say what the warrant being served was regarding.

Court documents show Clutter’s probation had been revoked in Campbell County in August. He had violated the conditions of probation he’d received in 2020, after being convicted of marijuana and methamphetamine possession the year before. Documents filed in Campbell County show the violation was related to allegations of theft reported in March 2021, where Clutter was accused of stealing more than $1,700 worth of Milwaukee tools and other equipment from a Gillette shop.

The standoff began around 5:45 p.m. on March 18, and ended around 11 a.m. the following day. 

Casper police said in a statement that four of their officers on the scene fired their weapons after Clutter shot at them. The officers have been placed on administrative leave during the investigation, per department policy. That investigation, according to Casper police, is being conducted by DCI.

Jail records show that Clutter’s mother and girlfriend were arrested on their own warrants following the standoff. His mother, Mikki Clutter, had a warrant out for probation revocation from Campbell County, according to court records. 

According to Clutter’s father, officers used smoke bombs, tear gas and water from a fire engine to try to draw an armed, barricaded Clutter out of the home. He also told the Star-Tribune he’d been told a backhoe and ram were used on the home’s windows and doors. After the standoff, the house appeared severely gouged with items falling out of the holes.

An investigation into the incident by the Natrona County Sheriff’s Office is still ongoing.