Police end 48-hour standoff with man charged with killing father

Compiled from staff reports from the Lake County Leader, the Daily Inter Lake and the Valley Press

Police found the body of a man who had been shot along the Thompson River near Thompson Falls last Saturday and have arrested his son on charges of deliberate homicide.

Sanders County Sheriff Gene Arnold said that the victim, Thompson Falls resident Roger Johnson, was shot with a 12-gauge shotgun two miles east of Bend Ranger Station on a Plum Creek logging road.

The Johnson family had been camping that Saturday near the Bend Ranger Station, a U.S. Forest Service cabin 32 miles north of Thompson Falls. The family has a cabin in the Thompson River Valley. The body was discovered by passersby on motorcycles, who drove around the remote area until they were in range of cellular service.

“He was shot on location right in the road; it looked like only one shot to the body,” Arnold said.

He explained that the Sanders County Police Department is investigating possible motives for their primary suspect, Johnson’s son, 20-year-old Ross Johnson. Johnson was arrested after a 48-hour police standoff at his home on Meadow Vista Way outside of Polson Monday night.

“That’s the hard part about it we don’t have a motive yet,” Arnold said. He added that a few sources said Ross might have had some psychological problems, but said that hadn’t been confirmed.

Arnold said there were no witnesses to the shooting but that people in the area had heard gunshots. Campers told police that father and son might have been gopher hunting when the shooting occurred.

Ross barricaded himself in the family’s home near Polson by 7 p.m. Saturday. Two dozen neighbors were evacuated from nearby homes. SWAT teams from Lake, Flathead and Missoula counties were called in to negotiate.

Following the long standoff, at about 4 p.m. Monday afternoon, SWAT teams shot several dozen canisters of non-lethal tear gas into the home in order to get Ross outside. When Ross didn’t leave the residence, law officers sent in Missoula County’s remote-controlled robot, which they used it to view the inside of the house and talk with Ross.

Officers finally entered the home later that evening and subdued Ross with Tasers for the arrest. Arnold said Ross will be arraigned in Lake County but held in custody in Sanders County.

Arnold said that Johnson will be charged with deliberate homicide. Police issued a warrant for Johnson’s arrest and a search warrant for Johnson’s car and home in Polson.

Arnold said that it doesn’t appear at the moment that drugs or alcohol were present on the scene but explained details are still coming in as the investigation continues.

“It looks unlikely we don’t see any of that present,” Arnold said.

He said that Sanders County will be doing a full background check on Johnson soon to find out if he had a past criminal record.

The Johnson family had strong ties to the local community. Four generations of Johnsons played football for the Polson Pirates over 85 years. Arle “Swede” Johnson played right end for the team in 1929, according to a Lake County Leader newspaper story in 2005. Swede Johnson also owned a grocery store on Main Street. Ross Johnson’s grandfather also owned a barber shop on Main Street. Plum Creek Timber Co. in Pablo employed Johnson.

The Johnson family was recognized for its historic roots to the community during a home football game in 2005. Ross spoke to a reporter from the Lake County Leader in 2005, saying he didn’t feel pressured by the weight of history. He did call it “pretty cool” that he could keep on with the tradition.

Roger Johnson enjoyed outdoor activities like hunting and fishing. Lake City Bakery owner Mike Humphrey said that every time he went goose hunting near the Pablo Reservoir, he’d see Roger Johnson.

“The whole family is avid hunters,” Humphrey said. “The Johnsons are one of the top 10 families, probably, as far as Polson history goes.”