The Conway Police Department called in a SWAT team to arrest an intoxicated trespasser Sept. 17 in a Maple Street residence. 

According to the report, CPD received the service call at 12:12 p.m. and made it to the scene within four minutes. 

Upon arriving at the scene, officer Nathan Elsinger immediately recognized the trespasser as Eric Douglas. 

Elsinger already issued a criminal trespassing warning to Douglas that same morning for the emergency shelter on Gum Street. 

The report states that the manager of the emergency shelter said Douglas would “get high, cause problems with the other residents and make them feel threatened and unsafe.” 

In an effort to talk with Douglas through a window, Elsinger noticed he was under the influence. Elsinger noticed Douglas struggling to communicate and pacing around with a box cutter in his hand. 

According to the report, the police were then informed that there were various loaded weapons in the home, such as a shotgun, pellet pistol and a 30-30. 

The police on scene evacuated workers from the residence, then secured a perimeter while they called for a Special Weapons and Tactics team. 

“I got a call from a neighbor telling me to lock my doors and to not go outside,” said a resident on Fifth Avenue. “I saw armed officers, a mobile command post parked in front of my home, and police cars blocking off both ends of the street.”

A resident sharing a fence with the vacant home said, “I opened my living room window to let in some fresh air when I saw a police car in my driveway. Then I saw officers with large guns looking into my neighbor’s yard.” 

The initial perimeter kept by the Conway police was replaced with a SWAT team. 

The team then commanded Douglas to vacate the residence. 

After failure to comply with commands from SWAT, the team entered the home and took Douglas under custody. 

Douglas was issued a citation for criminal trespass and public intoxication.