Corning man charged with firearm assault

A Corning man arrested following an armed stand-off with police on Friday appeared in Tehama County Superior Court twice on Tuesday.

Kenneth Blane Eden, 52, appeared in the morning on driving under the influence charges, and then at 1 p.m. for arraignment in connection with Friday's incident.

Eden was charged with felony assault with a firearm by force likely to produce great bodily injury, criminal threats, and two counts of felony corporal injury to a spouse or cohabitant, with a special allegation of use of firearm attached to each charge, the Tehama County Superior Court office reported.

He was originally arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, but that was no part of the formal charges on which he was arraigned.

Eden is being held in the Tehama County Jail on $550,000 bail.

The stand-off began around 2:50 p.m. Friday when Corning police received a call that a man was holding a woman at gunpoint at 554 Stanmar Drive.

When police arrived, Eden was inside the home with his live-in girlfriend Virginia Burrill, 43, and were told he was holding a handgun to her head.

California Highway Patrol and Tehama County sheriff's officers responded to assist and the residence was soon surrounded.

The police reported that when an officer attempted to make contact at the front door, he saw a person duck down behind a counter in the home.

Eden refused to come out of the home and would not allow Burrill to leave, police said.

Blockades were set up on Stanmar at Divisadero Avenue and Colusa Street, and residents from the surrounding homes were evacuated as a precautionary measure, police reported.

Around 3:20 p.m. ,Eden walked Burrill to the front door and allowed her to exit the home.

Burrill was escorted to a waiting police car by Tehama County Sheriff Dave Hencratt.

Police said she had bruising to her abdomen and right arm and reported hearing two clicks as Eden held the gun to her head. She also told police he had tried to strangle her.

Eden, reported to be intoxicated and still armed, refused to exit the residence.

He was ordered several times through a bull horn to leave the home with his hands up, but there was no response.

Around 4:15, however, Eden stepped out of the home with his hands raised.

As he reached the driveway, police with their guns drawn, commanded Eden to lay on the ground. He complied, and after checking that he was unarmed, police handcuffed Eden and placed him in a patrol vehicle.

After being medically cleared by paramedics on scene, Eden was transported to the Tehama County Jail where he was booked.

Eden's next court date was not available.