LAKE CARMEL – The Vernon Drive
area of Lake Carmel resembled a war zone Friday when a man barricaded
himself inside a residence and when he refused to cooperate with family
and police, Putnam County’s Emergency Response Team (ERT) was summoned
and cordoned off the area for hours.
The time was around 1:30 p.m. when according to Kent Police, a family
member went to the home at 46 Vernon Drive since the suspect had alerted
other relatives that he was despondent and was locked in his residence
thinking about committing suicide.
Sources said when the man failed to answer the door, Kent Police were
called and when officers were unable to contact the man described to be
in his mid-30’s, the county’s ERT was summoned.
It so happened that the team was training at the Paladin Center in Carmel
at the time with members of the Westchester ERT and when the alarm was
sounded, a massive response took place with heavily armed vehicles, lights
and sirens blaring, proceeded along Route 52 through the county seat en
route to Lake Carmel.
Bystanders along the main thoroughfare were shocked and frightened by
the site unfolding before their eyes. “I thought we were under attack,”
said a woman outside the Putnam County National Bank, while a man walking
his dog noted, “I never heard such commotion.”
The sheriff’s office sent a Facebook alert to residents of the Vernon
Drive area to lock their doors and stay inside their homes while Carmel
Superintendent of Schools Andy Irvin advised parents that school buses
were not being allowed in the area and children attending the Fischer
Middle School were being kept in school unless parents could pick up their
children. A similar message was sent to parents of youngsters attending
the Kent Schools complex.
The ERT surrounded the residence and for some time was unsure if the man
inside was still alive since a source indicated several registered weapons
were reported to be inside and a popping sound resembling a gunshot was
heard.
After two hours, the man inside the residence began to communicate with
police; however, it wasn’t until 10 p.m., or some eight hours after
the initial call was made, that the individual opened the front door of
the home and walked outside. He was taken into custody and taken to Putnam
Hospital Center for a psychiatric examination.
No injuries were reported and emergency responders cleared the scene around
10:30 p.m.
