Man On Drugs Fights Five Officers As His Children Freeze Outside

BURLINGTON -- It took five officers to subdue a man reportedly overdosing on narcotics as the man's grade school and infant children were left in a parked car in freezing weather.

City of Burlington police officers responded to the house of Joshua Koerber, on the 1200 block of Linden Lane in Kansasville just before 2 p.m. on Sunday on a report of a possible overdose.

When officers arrived, they found Koerber on the floor, and a needle lying next to him, the criminal complaint stated. Officers reported also observing that Koerber's pupils were pinpoint in size.

When they attempted to get his attention, Koerber, who reportedly stands six-foot-three and weighs 325 pounds, began getting verbally agressive as officers attempted to help Koerber sit up on his bed, the complaint stated.

It wasn't too much later before Koerber became more aggressive, and started overpowering the three officers that were on-scene, the complaint said.

According to his criminal complaint, Koerber at once assumed a boxer-like stance and began to overpower officers, pushing and shoving officers back with his hands and using his body to force officers away from him.

A taser was deployed on the combative Koerber to no effect. An officer delivered knee strikes to Koerber's upper thigh to no avail and a second taser deployment was equally ineffective. Koerber reportedly struck one officer in the right side of the jaw with his elbow and attempted to bite the hand of another officer, his complaint said.

Two additional officers arrived on-scene, and together the five officers managed to gain control of Koerber.

After he was brought under control, Koerber told officers he and his two children arrived at a home on the 400 block of Herman St. to meet a mutual party to receive tools to fix his truck, the complaint stated.

He told officers he took an Oxycodone pill - a painkiller he admitted to using for months with a prescription - shortly after he arrived. When an officer asked Koerber whether he used a the syringe found next to him to inject anything into his body, he told police he would have to talk to his attorney about the matter, the complaint read.

According to the complaint, his two children, a 10-year-old and 14-month old, were located inside his truck in the driveway while he was inside. The outside temperature was less than 10 degrees with a sub-zero wind chill.

A witness told police that Koerber arrived at the residence about 10 minutes before police were summoned. The witness said Koerber seemed impaired upon his arrival. The witness told police Koerber used the bathroom for several minutes, and upon exiting, fell on the floor where he remained until police showed up, the complaint said.

Koerber has been charged with resisting an officer, battery to law enforcement officer and two charges of child neglect.

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