Police Seize 145 Guns in Domestic Violence Call: UPDATED

This story has been updated.

As a 69-year-old Rochester Hills woman made a 911 call from a hiding place in the basement of her home Tuesday after her husband allegedly beat her up and threatened to kill her, he reportedly shot at her twice while she was on the phone with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, police said.

Police arrested the victim’s husband, 68-year-old John Lewis Piotrowski, 68, and removed 145 weapons from the residence in the 2500 block of John R. Road for safekeeping, the sheriff’s office said in a statement. The cache of weapons included 87 rifles and 58 handguns.

He reportedly followed her downstairs and while she was on the phone with police, he allegedly shot at her twice and then went back upstairs.

Both shots missed the victim, who then ran outside to wait for deputies to arrive, according to the report. When police arrived, Piotrowski was in the front yard. He was armed at the time, police said.

The Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office authorized four charges against Piotrowski, who is being held in the Oakland County Jail on $500,000 cash bond after his video arraignment in 52-3 District Court Friday before Judge Nancy Carniak.

The charges include assault with intent to murder, a felony punishable by up to life in prison; assault with a dangerous weapon, a four-year felony; and two counts of possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony, a felony punishable by up to two years in prison.

His next court date is Dec. 15 for a preliminary exam before District 52-3 Judge Julie Nicholson.

Stay Connected

• Subscribe to the free daily Rochester-Rochester Hills Patch newsletter and news alerts
• Like Rochester-Rochester Hills Patch on Facebook