Recordpub.com - Standoff ends in arrest Police say Ravenna man threatened to kill himself and police

By Don Jovich
Record-Courier staff writer
A nearly 2 1/2-hour standoff with area law enforcement ended with a Ravenna man charged with inducing a panic, a fifth-degree felony.
Shortly after 4 p.m. Tuesday, Ravenna police received a call of a man threatening suicide at the Woodgate Apartments, located off of Freedom Street on Woodgate Boulevard.
The caller also reported that the man, identified as Aaron McHenry, 35, also was possibly in possession of several firearms.
According to a woman named Danielle, who did not want to give her last name, the man was in a third-floor apartment unit. The building was was temporarily evacuated until the situation was resolved. Residents of nearby Rushin Meadows also were evacuated.
"The man was trying to kill himself and told police he would kill them if they came inside," she said.
Minutes later the Metro Swat Unit, of which the Ravenna Police Department is a member, arrived and established a central command post in the parking lot of the new Ravenna Elks Lodge.
Officers surrounded the apartment building and gained entry to the residence around 6 p.m.
Ravenna Police Chief Randy McCoy said the man had barricaded himself inside the bathroom armed.
"We're negotiating with him and we're trying to establish a line of communication," he said. "We're trying to talk him out."
After an hour of negotiations, the suspect surrendered to tactical members without incident.
More than 20 members of the Metro Swat Unit responded with officers from the Portage County Sheriff's Office and Ravenna, Copley, Springfield, Norton, Brimfield and Richfield police departments.
The Ravenna Fire Department also responded and were on standby until the scene cleared.
Once inside, McCoy said they confiscated several weapons that were found inside the apartment, including two different caliber handguns and a rifle.
Woodgate Boulevard was temporarily closed during the standoff with police.
Several residents who were unaware of the situation watched the scene unfold from their porches or balconies.
"This is a nice place to live," Danielle said. "It's unfortunate this had to happen."
No injuries were reported.
"This was not a hostage situation," McCoy said. "He was alone and we were able to successfully negotiate with him to surrender."
McCoy said McHenry was transported to Robinson Memorial Hospital in Ravenna to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
As for the Metro Swat Team, McCoy said they are a well-trained group of professionals who work in coordination with one another.
"They do a good job," he said.
By 7 p.m., all evacuated residents were allowed to return to their homes.

10.	Posted by tellnitlikeitis August 13, 2008
	HAHAHA a list of everyone with mental problems. Maybe we should call it "The Ravenna Census"....or perhaps that already exist. Dowhatisright, I'm afraid if their where a list you would be at the top. Do you have ANY idea how many people have some mental issue of some sort or the other? What would be the deciding factor of who would make it on "your list"? Would every depressed or bi-polar person make it on it? Do you realize how many of the people you see on a daily basis have some sort of mental disorder? And they should be on a list? hmmm.....repeat your theory to yourself very slowly and see if it still makes any sense. If it still in fact makes sense, then yes you are heading for top spot on that list.

9.	Posted by DoWhatsRight August 13, 2008
	KentBiz As usual you do not get the point. Yes, I do think a list should be made, but it is people like you that associates it with something awful. Have you forgotten the young man stabbed to death while sleeping on his couch. One of the people with mental problems walked into the house and stabbed him to death. These people did not know each other. The mental patient just did it. This happened on North Chestnut St. in Ravenna. But, by your standards, that is OK because the killer had a mental problem. Well I can assure that it is not OK by the family. Are you aware that another mental person that was being treated by Coleman Center, walked into another house on Chestnut St in Ravenna and just moved in. He did not know the renters but threatened to kill them if they did not let him move in and stay there free. This same guy threatened the life of those at Coleman Center also. The people living by these mental patients had no idea. A list would have warned them to be more aware. You seem to think that just because this guy has a mental problem that everyone should do as the mental person wants, after all he can't help it. I disagree, he can help it by staying on his medication. As for you wishing that he had taken me out at Woodgate, I would like to inform you that I have been there, and they had their chance to take me out. I have faced a lot of mental patients by myself. I took a man in Rootstown that had a gun threatening his wife. He had mistaken a blanket on the chair as his wife, and was going to shoot it. I have taken people with knives, axes, and a lot of other weapons. I saved a man's life in Mantua after he took poison. I took these people to the hospital for treatment, however after 3 days they can sign themselves out. So don't tell me I should not give my opinion. Maybe some day when you have to deal face to face with these mental people you will get the point. The point is that something has to be done to protect the many from the few violent mental people. The point is that our system is not working. They are put on medicine and quit taking it when there is no one there to make them. After reading your post and the decision that you arrived at, I can not help but wonder about you.

3.	Posted by KentBiz August 13, 2008
	Dowhatsright, I wish you were at Woodgate and he would have taken you out. Do you really think it's a good idea to chastise someone who is already in a fragile mental state (referring to your brilliant idea of putting people with mental issues on a sex-offender style list)? You're completely ignorant and insensitive to this person's needs, so don't needlessly chime in. Maybe he read one of your posts and was so infuriated that you don't have to register as some "continuous ignorant responder" that he was pushed to do this.

2.	Posted by DoWhatsRight August 13, 2008
	I would like to know more about this man. Was he drunk? Does he have a mental problem, or was he just wanting attention? Just think of the cost to the taxpayer? The Fire Department, the Police, the Swat Team, all of these are expensive to activate. What about the danger to those that have to respond? I think we need something more. Maybe we should have a law requiring these people to register like sex offenders have too. I think this would do several things, It would stop those that just want attention, and it would warn neighbors of impending danger, and it would forewarn first responders to what they will be dealing with. All to often these people are put on medication and let loose, without anyone making sure they take their medication. These people quit taking the medication, and we have the same thing again, only this time someone could get hurt.