Bellevue Man, 75, Pleads Not Guilty In Connection With Newport Hills Standoff Incident

A 75-year-old Bellevue man was arraigned Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to charges of Burglary First Degree and Assault Second Degree in connection to an incident that resulted in a standoff with police last month in the Newport Hills neighborhood.

Irving C. Poling allegedly broke in to the home of a Bellevue woman on May 26 and threatened a resident there with a handgun, according to court records. According to the Bellevue Police, Poling entered the woman's house in 6400 block of 129th Avenue Southeast and pointed a gun at a resident who was doing remodeling work at his home. He threatened to shoot one of the residents, and he left after following that resident out of the house, according to court papers.

After Poling left the home, Bellevue police found the 75-year-old man at his home in the 12500 block of Southeast 52nd Street and surrounded the house, according to court papers. Police evacuated neighbors and closed off the street while the SWAT team and hostage negotiators tried to contact the man.

Negotiators talked to him on the phone, and he asked to talk with one of them at the door, then came out into the driveway, where police shot him with a 40-mm "less lethal" round--a type of sponge, according to Bellevue police.

Poling is scheduled for a case setting hearing on July 13 at 1 p.m. at the King County Courthouse, courtroom 1201.