Man arrested after hostage situation ends in east Urbana

May 8—URBANA — An Urbana man was arrested Wednesday after he allegedly held a woman hostage in her home and barricaded himself from police in an hourslong standoff.

Police responded to the 700 block of Sunny Lane around 4 a.m. after they received a call about a possible hostage situation. On scene, officers made contact with the woman.

From her, police learned that Jacob M. Hill, 36, had allegedly entered her residence through a window.

Once inside, he armed himself with a handgun located inside of the house, she believed.

The woman then communicated with a third party who was located out of state.

That person reported the incident to police, who dispatched Urbana police officers to the scene.

Urbana police surrounded the house and requested assistance from the METRO SWAT team, who assumed command of the situation and attempted to negotiate with the offender who was still inside the residence.

Around 9 a.m., a SWAT team armed with a shield and rifles could be seen moving towards the residence, as other officers stood behind an armored vehicle.

At one point, a small police-operated drone also flew near the house.

Officers blocked off the entrance to the block located north of East Washington Street, as neighbors were told to shelter in place.

The situation was ongoing as school buses drove past to the nearby Urbana Early Childhood Education School, and Preston Williams Elementary School was placed on a "soft lockdown."

Despite numerous attempts to have Hill exit the residence, he allegedly refused and remained inside.

METRO SWAT, who was assisted by the Champaign Police Department SWAT team, eventually deployed a chemical irritant agent inside of the structure.

Hill was then located down in the crawl space of the residence and arrested, police said.

He was transported to a local hospital to be decontaminated from the chemical irritant agent and admitted to the county jail.

Hill was preliminarily charged with aggravated unlawful restraint and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon.

He was also wanted from a previous domestic situation which occurred several weeks prior at the same location, police said.

He was preliminarily charged in that case as well.

Hill faces three to seven years in prison if he is convicted of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, a Class 2 felony.

Urbana police ask that anyone who has additional information please call 217-384- 2320.

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