Woman involved in 2012 standoff dies
<p>Gloria Lee Sprinkle held law-enforcement officials at bay for 19 hours March 26 and 27, 2012.</p>
Gloria Lee Sprinkle, the 53-year-old woman who in March 2012 held law-enforcement officials at bay during a standoff that spanned two days at the rural Libby home she shared with her husband, has died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Sprinkle died Wednesday, May 29.
The standoff with Lincoln County Sheriff’s officers included a SWAT team from Flathead County. The standoff ended after 19 hours, during which time she discharged rifle rounds from their home at 520 Robbe Road.
Police entered the Sprinkle home after cannisters discharged by law enforcement incapacitated Sprinkle, who also fired shots in the direction of officers.
Originally charged with three felony counts, Sprinkle changed her plea to two guilty misdemeanor counts of negligent endangerment, far less than the three felony counts originally sought by Lincoln County Attorney Bernard Cassidy.
Last October, Sprinke served her last day in jail after undergoing a series of psychologoical tests at Warm Springs facility.