Armed suspect who didn't show up to court detained after hours-long standoff in Orangevale
ORANGEVALE – Deputies detained an armed suspect that has forced several people to evacuate in the Orangevale area Friday morning.
The suspect, 78-year-old Steven Kester, was supposed to show up to court on Friday for previous crimes he was arrested for, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office said.
Deputies were requested to serve a welfare check from Kester's attorney around 9:15 a.m.
They said he was the only person in the home on the 9200 block of Madison Avenue, near the Rollingwood Green Apartments.
When they arrived, deputies said Kester pulled out a handgun and a knife before stabbing himself. He then returned inside and barricaded himself.
Deputies have reported hearing a gunshot from inside and it doesn't appear anything was fired outside. By 1:15 p.m., the suspect was detained.
In June 2021, the sheriff's office issued a press release saying they arrested Kester on multiple charges of lewd and lascivious acts with a minor. Those charges were taken to the federal level and then failed to show up to court on Friday.
The release said Kester is a retired teacher and former substitute teacher for the Folsom Cordova Unified School District and other schools in the Sacramento area.
Drones and the SWAT team were at the scene.
Traffic was closed on Madison Avenue due to the incident.
