money Butler man accused of firing at passing cars, then at police officers Tuesday morning
BUTLER ― A Butler man accused of firing at passing vehicles and then at police officers has been arrested.
The incident started around 6 a.m. Tuesday, according to Butler police Chief Eric Winbigler.
The suspect fired at least one shot at a vehicle with a long firearm, Winbigler said, declining to identify the weapon. No one was injured, he said Tuesday afternoon outside the suspect's house in the area of 132 Cleveland Ave. in the village. The round had not yet been found.
"At about 6 o'clock in the morning we had a phone call, a dispatch call, for an individual walking up and down the sidewalk with a long-arm firearm. We went ahead and checked the area and found there was indeed an individual walking around with a long arm, actively pointing it at cars going by. We attempted to make contact with the individual and he took off running and went into the house behind me," Winbigler said, standing outside the home on Cleveland Avenue Tuesday.
Butler and Bellville police officers arriving at the scene were met with gunfire, Winbigler said in a news release Tuesday evening. Additional units from the Richland County Sheriff's Office and the Ohio Highway Patrol were called to the scene.
At the scene Tuesday, Winbigler said the suspect "kind of barricaded himself for awhile."
"We were able to make contact with him and he had a little change of mind as to what direction he wanted this incident to go," he said.
A search warrant was obtained for suspect's residence and law enforcement seized multiple firearms, drugs and drug paraphernalia, Winbigler said.
Butler Elementary School was delayed about an hour. Cleveland Avenue was shut down about 45 minutes while officers, with the assistance of deputies from the Richland County Sheriff's Office, scoured the village looking for the man, Winbigler said.
The suspect, who police did not immediately identify, was taken to the Richland County Jail on a charge of disorderly conduct, Winbigler said. The suspect has felony charges pending, he added, saying he has spoken with the Richland County Prosecutor's Office about what those charges will be.
Butler police officers, with the help of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation, brought out items from the apartment house on Tuesday afternoon. After 7 p.m., the Ashland County Sheriff's Office bomb squad retrieved several items of question, the chief added.
"It seems to be an isolated incident and there is no danger at this point in time," Winbigler told the media, asking them to relay the information for the community of Butler.
"I also want to ensure that their safety is of our primary concern and we appreciate the understanding as we navigated a delicate situation," he said.
Winbigler said he wanted to thank all the responding officers for their assistance and professionalism throughout this event.
lwhitmir@gannett.com
419-521-7223
Twitter: @LWhitmir
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Butler man accused of firing at passing cars, then at police officers
