Charges pending following standoff at Tusket residence Monday morning

By Tina Comeau

THE VANGUARD

NovaNewsNow.com



The RCMP say they will be laying charges against a 38-year-old man, following a standoff at a Tusket residence Monday morning that lasted several hours.

However, Sergeant Kevin Surette of the Yarmouth rural RCMP detachment said it may be Tuesday morning before charges are laid.

Police won’t identify the individual until charges have been formally laid.

“We are anticipating several Criminal Code charges,” is all Sgt. Surette would say.

Meanwhile media reports are saying the man was hit with a stun gun by police at the scene.

On Monday morning a call came in to the police at 3:12 a.m. indicating that a situation was unfolding at a residence on the John White Road in Tusket. (The short dirt road loops on and off of the main road through Tusket, not far from Carl’s Store.)

“I can confirm that we had a person barricaded in their home in Tusket refusing to come out,” said Sgt. Surette, after the situation was resolved. “He was believed to be armed.”

Sgt. Surette would not confirm Monday morning whether the person actually was armed. He did say the person was in the home alone so this wasn’t a hostage situation.

Asked how the police were alerted that this was happening, Sgt. Surette says a 911 call was made by a neighbour. It was reported to police that the man was being loud.

The residence, Sgt. Surette said, is actually a duplex so as a precaution the RCMP evacuated the other side of the duplex. Contact was also made with nearby by residents alerting them to what was happening.

People living in a nearby home told NovaNewsNow.com that the police told them were not allowed to leave their homes, not even for work, and for their safety they were encouraged to go into their basement. Sgt. Surette says this was in case any firing of weapons occurred.

The emergency response team from Halifax (similar to a SWAT unit) responded at the scene, as well a couple of RCMP negotiators.

Sgt. Surette said the man came out of the house after 8:30 a.m. after speaking on the telephone several times with him.

He was treated by EHS, which had been on scene throughout the standoff, and was then transferred to a cell at the rural detachment.

The RCMP were not disclosing Monday morning what had led to the standoff, saying only that their investigation is continuing and that they have statements to collect from witnesses.

Sgt. Surette said there is a possibility the individual may be brought to provincial court Tuesday morning.