All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
(Riverton, WY) – The Riverton Police Department has shared additional details following the recent near-12-hour standoff that led to the arrest of 62-year-old Ronald Allington.
“Officers received a search warrant to enter his home after receiving information that he was inside his house,” the update informs. “Officers had been looking for him after a warrant was issued when he failed to appear in court.”
Court documents indicate Allington had been charged with making terroristic threats back in July of 2024, a felony punishable by up to three years imprisonment.
The complaint document on file for that charge states that on July 12, 2024, Allington had “become upset while being treated at the hospital,” and while leaving the building, said “something to the effect of he was going to get a firearm, and someone from here was going to be leaving in a body bag,” according to statements made by a hospital employee.
Another employee told investigators that they heard Allington later say “something to the effect of, he was going to harm himself, and bad things were going to happen,” before he left the hospital.
Allington subsequently pled “guilty (no contest)” to the charge, conditional upon stipulations made in a plea agreement filed on August 6, 2024.
The plea agreement stated that a 12-18 month prison sentence would be suspended, and he would instead serve two years of supervised probation.
Allington also pled “guilty” to a separate possession of marijuana charge, and was granted a deferred prosecution with one year of supervised probation, as per the plea agreement. He was ordered to pay restitution, and was released on an unsecured bond at the time.
However, a motion for warrant document filed on November 19, 2024, states that Allington failed to appear at his scheduled November 14, 2024, sentencing hearing, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
According to today’s update from RPD, after receiving a search warrant to enter his home, a team of Riverton officers went to his residence to arrest him.
“During the encounter, he started yelling through a closed bedroom door and challenged the officers to shoot him,” the update states. “Officers were trying to talk him out of a locked bedroom when he (thrust) a sword through his door. The sword narrowly missed several of the Riverton Officers. He then went to a back bedroom window and pointed a handgun toward the backyard where officers had started to position themselves. He quickly went out of view of officers.”
The Riverton Police Department then requested the assistance of the Natrona County specialized teams after he was seen armed with the sword and handgun, and was no longer in view of the officers, the update goes on to state.
Once taken into custody, a katana (Samurai style) sword was located inside the bedroom along with a black handgun, later determined to be a BB gun, and a bloodied knife.
After being detained, Allington was briefly hospitalized for non-life-threatening injuries before being booked into the Fremont County Jail.
“Charges will be sought against Allington for several weapons violations,” the RPD update also states, but those specific charges were not shared.
County 10 will continue to provide updates on Allington’s case as it progresses.