This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2006, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Police arrested a man at the Salt Lake City home of Utah Jazz rookie Robert Whaley Saturday night after a brief standoff.
The man arrested was Whaley's half-brother, Frank Barnes, who was wanted on a second-degree felony warrant for aggravated assault stemming from a Feb. 25 arrest in which Barnes allegedly "pistol whipped" another person in front of Salt Lake City's Club Manhattan, Salt Lake County Sheriff's Sgt. Paul Jaroscak said.
Police and Jazz officials said that Whaley was not at home during the incident and has no involvement with Barnes' alleged crimes.
"Robert was not present at the house nor involved in any way," said Kevin O'Connor, senior vice president of basketball operations for the Utah Jazz. "The matter was entirely regarding his half-brother."
But the incident was disconcerting to neighbors who watched as Salt Lake County Sheriff's gang officers closed the street and surrounded the home around 9 p.m.
Officers placed a phone call to the house, which sits in a row of townhouse-style condominiums on the 200 North block of Almond Street, and got Barnes on the line. Barnes disguised his voice and lied about who he was, Jaroscak said.
Neighbor Jameson Jordan, who was stopped by police as he tried to return to his home, said he saw officers with assault weapons.
"That kind of shocked me," he said.
At one point, Barnes tried to escape through a back door of the townhouse but was confronted by an officer with a police dog. Barnes retreated into the condo, where he stayed until about 10 p.m. when police were able to talk him into surrendering, Jaroscak said.
He was arrested and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on $10,000 bail for the aggravated assault warrant as well as new charges for allegedly lying about his identity, Jaroscak said.
The arrest warrant officers served Saturday was filed March 3 after Barnes failed to make a court appearance on the Feb. 25 assault, according to court records.
In his first season with the Jazz, Whaley and fellow rookie Deron Williams made headlines after getting into a skirmish and cutting his hand last December at a Park City nightclub and then giving police a false name. He then told the Utah Jazz and members of the media that he cut his hand while trying to get a knife away from his young son. He was cited for obstruction of justice and later made a public apology for not telling the truth.
Whaley's landlord, Ed Sepehri-Nik, said the Jazz player has been a good tenant, and he has received no complaints about Whaley.
Condo manager Ann Kell agreed, saying she had received no complaints from any of the other condo occupants about Whaley's residence. Salt Lake City Police showed no history of complaints at Whaley's address since he moved in August 2005.
Barnes posted bail and was released Sunday afternoon.
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Tribune reporter Phil Miller contributed to this story.