Standoff In Putnam Valley: Sheriff

PUTNAM COUNTY, NY — A two-hour standoff Friday afternoon between authorities and an emotionally disturbed man in Putnam Valley ended peacefully, County Sheriff Donald B. Smith reported. The man had allegedly made threats against an insurance company's staff, and a visit from a sheriff's deputy turned into a standoff.

The incident began to unfold when officials of an insurance company called the Sheriff’s Office Friday and reported that the man, who lives on Cedar Street in Putnam Valley, had allegedly made threats over the telephone toward employees of that company.

When a sheriff’s deputy went to the man’s house to interview him at about 1 p.m., the man refused to open
his door, began screaming at the deputy from inside and made statements indicative of extreme emotional disturbance, police said.

Additional sheriff’s deputies and members of the Putnam County Emergency Response Team responded to the area outside the house in a precautionary posture while a sheriff’s negotiator engaged the man by telephone. After about two hours, the man was persuaded to come out of the house, whereupon he was taken into custody without further incident. Authorities transported him to the Putnam Hospital Center in Carmel for psychiatric evaluation, police said.

Image via Putnam County Sheriff's Office