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New Armed Standoff: Man Threatens To Shoot Himself At Apartment In Hudson Valley, Sheriff Says

A 59-year-old Hudson Valley man threatened to shoot himself following an eviction notice that led to an hours-long standoff.

The area of the standoff.

The area of the standoff.

Photo Credit: Pixabay/diegoparra and Google Maps street view

The incident took place in Ulster County around 11 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 25, in Kingston.

The drama unfolded when an Ulster County Sheriff's Office deputy executed a court-ordered eviction for the man living in an apartment located at Wiltwyck Gardens on Albany Avenue. 

The deputy initially spoke with the man to be evicted inside the apartment and observed he still had property inside. Since it appeared the man was not ready to immediately vacate as specified in the court order, the deputy granted the male some extra time to gather his belongings before leaving the apartment, said the Ulster County Sheriff's Office.

While the deputy waited for the man to collect his belongings, the man retrieved a handgun from another room and walked into a bathroom where he threatened to shoot himself and refused to leave the bathroom or drop the gun, ignoring the deputy's order, the department said.

A stand-off ensued while the deputy called for backup from the department as well as the City of Kingston Police Department, the Town of Ulster Police Department, and the New York State Police.

After a stand-off of approximately 30 minutes, which caused Albany Avenue to be shut down for a period of time, officers successfully negotiated the man's surrender and he exited the apartment without incident, the Sheriff's Office said.

He was arrested and transported to the Ulster County Sheriff's Office for arrest processing.

The man was not identified by the Sheriff's Office.

The handgun recovered from the apartment was discovered to be a stolen handgun, police said.

Two additional firearms and ammunition were also located and removed from the apartment. 

Detectives from the Ulster County Sheriff's Office are continuing their investigation in relation to all the firearms recovered from the apartment.

The man was charged with:

  • Criminal possession of stolen property
  • Criminal possession of a weapon
  • Reckless endangerment
  • Obstruction of governmental administration.

He was issued an appearance ticket to appear at the City of Kingston Court on a future date and time. After arrest processing, he was transported to Kingston Hospital for a mental health evaluation and treatment and was turned over to hospital staff.

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