Sweetwater Police Resolve Barricade Situation at Local Motel

SWEETWATER, Texas — On Monday, September 22, 2025, Sweetwater Police responded to a suspicious DoorDash delivery at the Sweetwater Inn in the 700 block of Southwest Georgia Avenue. Upon arrival, officers found 42-year-old Neil Cooper barricaded inside a motel room and claiming to be armed.

Officers also received reports of a possible hostage inside the room. While police worked to establish communication, the individual believed to be a hostage safely exited the room without injury. A crisis negotiator from the Texas Department of Public Safety arrived on scene and successfully negotiated Cooper’s peaceful surrender.

Cooper was taken into custody without incident and charged with Aggravated Kidnapping, as well as two active Manufacture/Delivery of a Controlled Substance Penalty Group 1 warrants from the Snyder Police Department. Another individual initially reported as a hostage was also taken into custody and charged with Failure to Identify, in addition to one active Manufacture/Delivery of a Controlled Substance Penalty Group 1 warrant from Snyder PD.

The Sweetwater Police Department thanked the Texas Department of Public Safety for their assistance in resolving the incident safely.