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The police had been called to a report of a man destroying his home in the 4200 block of Jonestown Road on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023, around 1 p.m., the department explains in the release.
Upon arrival the police found 34-year-old Michael Wayne Benson "had attempted to set the residence on fire earlier in the day and was now to be barricaded himself in his room, holding a shard of glass in his hands," the police say. "Officers attempted contact with Benson, who refused to exit his room and was observed in an agitated state."
The Dauphin County Crisis Response Team was called and "Benson was safely taken into custody and transported to the Dauphin County Booking Center," around 3:20 p.m., the police detail in the release.
He was charged with attempted arson, risking a catastrophe, and recklessly endangering another person, the police say and court records confirm.
He's been confined in the Dauphin County Prison after failing to post $100,000 in bail, according to his latest court docket.
Benson has a lengthy court record, previously serving prison time for robbery, forgery, and theft in York and Cumberland Counties, court documents from 2008 through 2022 show.
His preliminary hearing has been set before Magisterial District Judge William C. Wenner on Feb. 23 at 1:15 p.m., as detailed in his docket.
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