On June 30, GFPD arrested a man for assault with a weapon after an hours long incident at 523 27th St. S.

According to GFPD, the investigation is ongoing and there may be additional charged.

During the incident, GFPD was attempting to make contact with the man to make an arrest and issued commands over a microphone and deployed several flashbangs.

The agency said no one was injured in the incident.

Area residents were asked to stay inside during the incident and others were asked to avoid the area.

GFPD was called out to the residence twice on June 30 for disturbances.

For the second call, it was reported that weapons may be involved and one suspect fled into the house, according to GFPD.

When officers attempted to make contact with the suspect, the standoff began and the agency’s high risk unit was called to the scene, according to GFPD.

The suspect was taken to the Cascade County jail and GFPD got a warrant to enter and search the house, according to GFPD.

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Garret Pederson, 21, was charged with a felony count of sexual abuse of children.

Pederson was a detention officer with the Cascade County Sheriff’s Office.

According to charging documents, a Verizon Wireless employee notified the Great Falls Police Department on June 29 that while helping Pederson get a new phone, the employee saw sexually explicit photographs of children on Pederson’s phone.

The employee thought the children in the photos were about 7 years old, according to court documents.

A GFPD detective interviewed Pederson and he admitted there were sexually explicit images of children that he had downloaded to his phone.

Pederson consented to the GFPD detective looking at the images on his phone and the detective determined at least one image that met the definition of a child engaged in sexual conduct, actual or simulated, according to charging documents.

Cascade County Sheriff Jesse Slaughter said Pederson’s employment with CCSO had been terminated immediately.

He said that Pederson had been employed with CCSO for about six months.

Slaughter said that Pederson was being held in the Chouteau County jail for his own safety and security of the Cascade County jail since he had worked as a detention officer.

The county attorney’s office recommended $2,500 bond and GPS monitoring.

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Following up on incidents from May:

A deceased male was found at 6:52 a.m. May 6 in the 500 block of Central Avenue.

According to GFPD, it was determined to be a medical event and was not investigated as homicide.

A heavy police response to the 600 block of Central Avenue at7:34 p.m. May 7 was determined to be an apparent suicide, according to GPFD.