Defendant in armed July standoff changes plea

SANDUSKY — Darvell Martin, a city resident who in July engaged in a six-hour armed standoff with police, this week pleaded guilty to four related charges.Martin, 26, is now set for a sentencing hearing Jan. 25, according to court records.A plea agreement enabled Martin to plead guilty to two counts of felonious assault and one of inducing panic, according to a court document filed on Wednesday. Six additional charges on which a grand jury indicted him in August were dismissed.These dismissed charges were four counts of kidnapping, one count of assault and one more count of felonious assault, according to court records.The charges arose following a July 10 get-together at a residence on the 900 block of Vine Street. A reportedly agitated Martin began choking an 18-year-old woman sometime that morning, police said at the time. Several other women tried to calm him down and separate him from the woman, before they eventually slipped out of the home and dialed 911.The 18-year-old, too, made it outside of the home before the standoff with police ensued.Sandusky police said at the time that Martin threatened to shoot himself, shoot officers and commit "suicide by cop" at various points during their negotiations. An uncle was eventually able to calm Martin down and convince him to turn himself in to police.Following an evaluation at Firelands Regional Medical Center, Martin was booked at the Erie County jail. He has remained in continuous custody since, according to jail records.An attorney for Martin could not be reached for comment Friday.See also: Standoff suspect has history of instabilityDarvell MartinShortly after 11 a.m. on July 10, the Erie County Special Response Team moves in on a house containing an armed suspect on the 900 block of Vine Street.