North Attleboro Man Charged with Threatening Man in Mansfield with Weapons Released with Conditions

A North Attleboro man who threatened a friend in Mansfield over a dispute with his wife on Facebook is free but with conditions.

Christopher Kerkhoff, 29, must wear a GPS monitoring device, live with her parents; and can only leave his house for work; medical appointments, and to meet is lawyer; and cannot use alcohol or drugs according to the Sun Chronicle. The conditions come after prosecutors dropped their request to have Kerkhoff held without bail.

Kerkhoff, who is an Iraq war veteran, must seek treatment at the Veteran’s Administration Hospital.

Early Monday morning, Kerkhoff was arrested and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, disorderly conduct, two counts of improper storage of a firearm, two counts of possession/carrying a loaded rifle or shotgun on a way malicious destruction of property, and possession of a dangerous weapon (double edge knife) according to Mansfield police. Kerkhoff has pleaded innocent to the charges.

At around 3:27 a.m, police received a 911 call from Oakland Street reporting a physical altercation between two men. While officers were en route, the caller told a dispatcher that one of the men had a gun. The dispatchers could also hear screaming in the background about a gun.

When officers arrived on scene, they witnessed a pickup truck driving across the front lawn of the home with no headlights on, according to reports. Police ordered the driver, later identified as Kerkhoff, out of the truck at gunpoint.

Police found a loaded .22 cal. handgun with the safety in the ‘off’ position, 19 rounds of .22 caliber ammunition, as well as a folding knife on him, reports indicate. A search of his truck revealed an unsecured and loaded 12 gauge shotgun, a .22 caliber semi-automatic rifle as well as several boxes of ammunition, police say. They also reportedly found and seized a double edged knife.

Kerkhoff is due back in court in September.

Photo Credit: Mansfield Police