Wayne Johnson appeared Friday in White River Junction criminal court for an arraignment after police said he made threats with a crossbow and knife a night earlier. Photo: Photo by Eric FrancisPublished December 23, 2013 in the Rutland Herald Police: Threats involved crossbow, chain saw By ERIC FRANCIS CORRESPONDENT WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — A Springfield man allegedly threatened friends and police with a crossbow, a chain saw, a can of gasoline and a lighter, and a knife in the span of a few minutes. Wayne Johnson, 36, pleaded innocent Friday in White River Junction criminal court to a felony charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, as well as misdemeanor counts of simple assault on a police officer and resisting arrest. He was released on conditions after his attorney said the incident Thursday night may have been related to a recent change in psychiatric medications. Johnson told the judge he would seek mental health counseling as soon as his local clinic opens for business today. A family member told police after Johnson’s arrest that he suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and “explosive anger disorder.” Johnson had been using heroin and bath salts, the relative said, and “escalating in his violent behavior since Thanksgiving.” A crisis screen told Judge Karen Carroll that Johnson was cooperative and did not exhibit any symptoms that would warrant emergency psychiatric treatment. Police said officers were called to Johnson’s home on South Street after a “visibly shaken and upset” acquaintance called police a said Wayne had just pointed a crossbow at her and a friend. Police said Johnson taunted them, saying, “Come on, boys in blue.” He picked up a chain saw and threw it back down when ordered to drop it, police said. A few moments later, police said, Johnson pulled out a lighter and grabbed a gas can off the porch. He acted as if he would douse an officer and then dropped the can, police said. Johnson also pulled a knife out of his pocket before three officers tackled him to the ground and cuffed him, police said. Police said they found a second knife and a small amount of marijuana in Johnson’s pockets after he was arrested. Johnson admitted to drinking several shots of rum, police said, but he denied taking bath salts or regulated drugs.
A crisis screen told Judge Karen Carroll that Johnson was cooperative and did not exhibit any symptoms that would warrant emergency psychiatric treatment.
ReplyDeleteTranslation is there are no beds for him to get into and we can't have him locked up like he belongs!
Yep!
DeleteYou pretty much nailed it, no bed capacity for the mentally ill.
Deletelet the crisis team take him to their homes if he is so sane and what on earth would warrant emergency psych treatment?
ReplyDeleteYou all need to get a grip, not every crime or criminal can be based on a mental illness. Some people are just criminals and the behaviors that they exhibit are a direct results of the substances they abuse. It is not up to the crisis team to uphold the law.
DeleteSure enough it was the pot that caused this all to happen.
ReplyDeleteMixing it with rum, oh boy.............
Re: Last sentence of the artical.
maybe if he was met by the town greeters that were supposed to be walking the downtown per some idea and article on here a few months back...maybe he wouldn't have done this lol
ReplyDeleteThis person lives on South St, a neighborhood with a school. IF he is on "bath salts" or other drugs, has a mental illness and has access to weapons, we are all lucky no one got hurt! In this town alone, there are many resources for people with "mental illness", there is a walk in crisis center, HCRS, a hospital with on call crisis counselors. There is absolutely no excuse for lack of getting help. I read his wife posting her excuse for him, well instead of worrying about what others may think of him and her feeling the need to "explain" the situation, she should be worried about keeping the neighborhood and the children safe from him, keep ALL weapons away, get him off the drugs and into somewhere that can help him! Mental illness is NOT an excuse!
ReplyDeleteReally? Note the med change. Read up on the side effects of bupropine. He obviously is going to treatment if he was on medication. Such simple minds without a spine
DeleteStill..NO EXCUSE. It is stated by his wife that he has a long history of mental illness, so I dont care what changed were made, or side effects there are, there is a HISTORY there and there should ALWAYS be precautions taken by those around him. Keeping him and his surroundings safe!
DeleteAgreed, 5:31!
DeleteOne problem in situations like this is that sometimes the spouse dismisses the behavior as acceptable. I have a sibling who has engaged in the most bizarre behavior over the course of his adult life, and his wife judges it as normal, because she compares it to her father's behavior. Her lack of solid grounding in the objective reality of the situation put their children at great risk for just about every failure you can think of, and some have failed spectacularly.
Society rarely takes into account the background of stories like this one, where the family members (and often neighbors or passers-by) suffer, but the spouse minimizes the effects by thinking or saying, "But he (or she) loves me!" How do we deal with that?
Chuck, you yourself have known him for 12 years. You know what kind of perrson he is. Just what kind of people are you? Turning your back on people in need. For shame on you all
DeleteI would say Chuck is the kind of person who no longer wants to make excuses for others every time they do something dumb like this guy.
DeleteThere are many people in Springfield whom I know, but do not know well, and he is one of that very large group. I offered my brother's situation as an example of how family dynamics might play into either continuing or resolving such a situation.
DeleteIf he was black with a name like Terrick I bet they would have locked him up and he would be looking at 8 to 10 years in the pokie. Instead he will get some psych treatments and be free to torture everyone again.
ReplyDeleteStop blaming everything on race, you are so ignorant! Mr Kraft actually SHOT at someone in the middle of our town. This guy is on meds for something, whether it be drug withdrawal or a mental illness. The police could have shot him but were smart enough to overpower him when he wielded the knife.
DeleteI'm positive that if he was black the same issue would've happened.
You are either not too bright if you actually think it did not matter whether he was black or white or you wear a white hood at night and you are spreading disinfo. Either way being a black man in Springfield is dangerous to one's health. Clearly blacks are treated differently by the police and the legal system and not for the better.
Deletemaybe they are closing his SSI and needed a show to keep it
ReplyDeleteI wouldnt doubt it!
Deletemaybe he wanted to be on the inside to visit Mr Simonds
ReplyDeleteMaybe half of this town should get off heroin, crack, coke or pills. I would like to thank the former members of our select board for bringing the prison to our town. It has attracted the most upstanding citizens to our community.
ReplyDeleteThe prison being in town has nothing to do with the crime rate. Only the folks living in Springfield "at the time they were arrested" are allowed to move back into town upon release from prison. So these guys were/are here as members of this community whether the prison is here or not. So don't blame the prison for their behavior.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the prison is not the problem. How about the landlords in town get rid of all the dealers and druggies living in their places? or crack down on the low income housing areas, the many we have, and target the ones who abuse it and let others live there for free while selling drugs, or better yet stop slapping the hands of everyone and letting them go back in the community, the police do their job, the courts slap their hands and send them on their way. This town is never going to go anywhere but downhill. Take a ride, any time of the day, thru town, over by the plaza too, just look at what u see walking around. Listen in on a police scanner for a day, hear what the police in town have to deal with. Like I said, it has nothing to do with the prison, its everything else in this town!
DeleteHHEELLOOOO!!?? The prison is a massive contributor to our crime in town. Most of the inmates being released establish residency here!! That person knows a person who knows a person. Time servers families move up here so they can visit without travel. Prison Caseworkers encourage inmates to establish here in Springfield because it is convenient. Once they are released, they already have Section 8, SSI, Housing, etc..Duh.......
ReplyDeleteno they dont have Section 8, SSI, Housing, etc once they are released
DeleteWOW thats my dad he is a great man he will over come his mistakes and move on
ReplyDeleteThat is my dad so if you do not stop being such dicks I will get you
DeleteI left Springfield years ago, it amazes me how petty and ignorant the people of the community still are. Able to express opinions and yet not knowing all fact. Were you there? News papers exploit people first, create a sensation, right or wrong, and never apologize later. Or are your opinions based on rumors? As for mental illness, the statements made above truly show your lack of knowledge in that area. Medicines fail all the time, unfortunately it is a science of trial and error.
ReplyDelete11:03, I think you make a strong argument for having our children leave Springfield for the bigger world. I have always suspected that the most negative comments come from people who have never left this area and seen what the rest of the world is like. I might be wrong...
Deletetalk about ignorant mabe you should look in the mirror
DeleteMistakes happen it was in the past what matters is know
ReplyDeleteand now he is on the loose again, schools are in lock down?? Keep him on the street...Judge Carol
ReplyDelete