An Exeter Township man was taken into custody by a tactical team late Sunday afternoon after a 3 1/2 -hour standoff with police that began when he made verbal threats against police during a conversation with a Berks County dispatcher.
Exeter police responded about 2 p.m. after the man made a 9-1-1 call from his home in the 100 block of Schoffers Road near the village of Jacksonwald, according to Sgt. Sean Fullerton, public information officer. During the unspecified conversation with dispatchers, he made threats against police, Fullerton said.
Police arrived and made verbal contact with the 51-year-old man, but he refused to come out. Based on previous incidents involving the man, police were concerned that he had firearms, so they decided not to make entry and instead called for assistance from the Berks County Emergency Response, team, or BCERT, which consists of officers from police departments in the county who have special training in dealing with barricaded individuals.
An Exeter officer who has training as a negotiator maintained dialogue with the man. Another negotiator also tried to talk the man into surrendering. A crisis worker for Service Access Management was also involved.
Police used the SwiftReach network to advise residents in the Route 562 corridor of the incident and ask that they shelter in place until further notice.
Around 5 p.m., the BCERT team made entry into the home and took the man into custody without incident. He was taken to Reading Hospital for a mental health evaluation.
He was expected to be arraigned on a charge of making terroristic threats, Fullerton said.
Source: Berkshire mont