WATERVILLE — A city woman thought to be in possession of a handgun was charged late Saturday with creating a police standoff.

Shelley Kelley, 47, was hospitalized and later issued a summons for the Class E crime of holding police at bay for about four hours, Waterville Deputy Police Chief William Bonney said in a news release.

Bonney said police were called to Yeaton Street at about 3 p.m. Saturday for a suicidal woman possibly armed with a gun, later identified as Kelley.

Police responded and secured a perimeter around the area while attempting to make contact with Kelley who initially refused to speak with police. A Waterville Police Department negotiator was called to the scene and was assisted by Officer Kelly Hooper from the Skowhegan Police Department who is a friend of the Kelley family.

Kelley came out of her home at about 7:15 p.m. and surrendered to police without further incident, according to Bonney. She was taken to MaineGeneral Medical Center, Thayer Campus, for evaluation. Police do not believe that Kelley posed a threat to the community at any time during the standoff.

Skowhegan Police Chief David Bucknam said by phone Sunday morning that he got a call Saturday asking if Hooper could assist.

“Deputy Chief Bill Bonney contacted me last night and let me know the situation of this female that had barricaded herself in the house and that she was requesting to speak with Officer Hooper,” Bucknam said. “She said that would be the only officer that she would speak to.”

Bucknam said Hooper was able to successfully talk Kelley out of the house and into protective custody.

Hooper said Sunday morning that she and Kelley are personal friends who have known one another for many years.

As a result of her conduct during the incident and resources expended over the course of the four-hour standoff, Kelley was summonsed on a charge of creating a police standoff, a misdemeanor punishable with a conviction of up to six months in jail.

The incident was the second police standoff for the Waterville Police Department this month, both of which ended peacefully and without injury, Bonney said. Bonney said he credits the work of Waterville Police Department patrol officers, supervisors and negotiators in bringing “these stressful and dangerous situations” to a safe conclusion.

In the other incident, Michael Joslyn, 23, created a nearly 13-hour standoff with police Dec. 10 when he refused to leave his College Avenue apartment building after having fired several gunshots through the floor in the direction of his landlord, with whom Bonney said Joslyn was having a dispute. Bonney also said Joslyn was intoxicated at the time he fired the shots, which totaled about a half-dozen when the standoff ended.

Waterville officers were able to detain him without injury by deploying their pepper-ball system, firing several rounds until Joslyn was subdued. There appeared to be 20 to 30 law enforcement officers involved in that incident.

Joslyn was charged with three counts of aggravated reckless conduct, aggravated criminal mischief, both of which are felony charges; refusing to submit to arrest and creating a police standoff, which are misdemeanors.

Doug Harlow — 612-2367

dharlow@centralmaine.com

Twitter:@Doug_Harlow

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