BILLINGS— A Billings family is rebuilding their lives after a police standoff and house fire Wednesday afternoon devastated their home on Ninth Avenue North.
Homeowner Jennette Rasch said the suspect, 56-year-old James Strand, broke into the home right after two of her children and their friend got home from school.
Watch the report below:
Related: 'Makes me sad': Billings family left without home after police standoff ends in fire
“They told us is that he entered the home through the back door, which was open because my youngest had very recently been playing in the backyard,” Rasch told MTN Sunday afternoon.
Dispatchers said they had received calls of Strand driving recklessly near North Park moments earlier.
Rasch told MTN her children said Strand did not harm or threaten them.
“He went to my sink from my understanding, grabbed my dirty dishes out of my sink, including the knives that he was wielding that night,” she said. “And went into my living room where my middle child was sitting and told him, ‘You kids need to get out before the cops get here.’ And then eventually went around the corner while my eldest was walking back into the house, said, ‘Excuse me,’ and then ran upstairs to, I'm guessing, barricade himself up in one of the kids' bedrooms.”
Strand could be seen brandishing knives on the family's roof before the house caught on fire and police arrested him hours later.
While Rasch is relieved her children were left unharmed, the interaction confused her.
“He wasn't violent toward the children, which I'm eternally grateful for,” she said. “But I don't know if it's more terrifying that he was nice to them while also completely invading their safe space and their personal home and where they belong.”
After Strand barricaded himself inside, the family watched as their belongings and memories went up in smoke.
“Yeah, it's just completely unlivable,” Rasch said. “We got to watch what everyone else watched as the house eventually went up in flames.”
The family had to euthanize one of their cats after the fire, who was stuck inside the house during it.
“She did end up having to be put down the next night. She was covered in chemicals and everything from what happened,” said Rasch.
Another one of their cats has not been found since the fire.
“I'm hoping that she is cowering somewhere in the neighborhood and not in the home,” said Rasch, who has not been inside the house since the fire.
Billings police say Strand is facing charges of aggravated burglary, felony arson, obstructing a peace officer and resisting arrest.
Rasch said she still does not know whether anything inside the home can be salvaged.
“They're still sending investigators over,” she told MTN. “We have no idea if we're going to be able to fix the house or if they're going to want to tear it down.”
Rasch plans to receive help from insurance after the investigation is complete. Her family, which includes her husband, three kids and her kids’ friend, have been staying at a hotel provided through the American Red Cross.
As the family figures out what comes next, their community is stepping in to help.
“We have tons of donations of clothing,” family friend Katherine Ries said. “We're also trying to get some basic household goods like electric skillets, crock pots.”
Ries also organized a GoFundMe Thursday to help the family, which has raised nearly $10,000. Her goal is to raise $35,000.
“We posted on Facebook on a lot of the community pages and people have been sharing it all over,” Ries said.
The support has already made a difference for Rasch.
“I had no idea so many people loved us. I had no idea so many people would show up for us,” she said.
Police arrested Strand after an hours-long standoff at the home. The incident began around 3:11 p.m. Wednesday when police say they received calls that Strand was driving recklessly near North Park before fleeing his vehicle and entering a nearby home.
After the children left the home, law enforcement deployed gas canisters into the home to get Strand out.
Billings police say he refused officers' commands to leave the home, prompting a response from the Billings Police Department SWAT Team, Hostage Negotiation Team and Drone Team.
