A Warren man faces charges after he barricaded himself in a Rattalee Lake Road residence on Feb. 20 and threatened to commit suicide ‘all while an 86-year-old Independence Township woman was still in the residence.
The man willingly left the house around 9 p.m. and was arrested and taken to Oakland County Jail without incident after a three-hour standoff.
Todd Matthew Gardner, 32, was arraigned on one count of aggravated stalking and one felony firearm charge on Feb. 22 before Judge Kelley Kostin in 52-2 District Court. His court exam is set for March 3 at 8:30 a.m. Kostin set a $75,000 bond, according to Sergeant Matt Baldes of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Independence Township substation.
As stated in reports, police were dispatched to Rattalee Lake Road in Independence Township around 5:21 p.m. when Gardner’s wife, Laura, came home to find he broke into the house and was sitting in a bedroom closet with a gun under his chin.
Reports state the Gardners are going through a divorce and Todd Gardner had established another residence in Warren on Jan. 15.
Upon seeing her husband in the closet, the wife fled the house with her son. Her 86-year-old grandmother was sleeping in the house at the time, stated reports.
When Independence Township police arrived, they set up a perimeter covering the house. Baldes estimated 30 law enforcement officers were on the scene including the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Special Response Team and a helicopter air unit.
‘Our number one concern was the grandma’s safety. At the time, we didn’t know if she was in danger,? said Baldes. ‘From there, we wanted to make sure he didn’t hurt himself. That’s part of our job sometimes, to protect people from themselves.?
Reports indicated Undersheriff Mike McCabe began a dialogue with the suspect on his wife’s cell phone. The suspect indicated he would exit the home if a friend of his from the Madison Heights Police Department came to the scene.
Baldes said the dialogue started with McCabe around 6:30 p.m. From around 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. The Madison Heights police officer and an OCSO negotiator talked with Gardner until he agreed to leave the house. No major injuries were reported.
‘It was a collaborative effort between Undersheriff McCabe, the sheriff’s department negotiator and that personal friend of his. They were able to talk him into unloading and dissembling the rifle and come out peacefully,? said Baldes. ‘The situation ended in a really good way.?
When asked, Baldes explained the incident was not determined to be a hostage situation following an investigation. He also stated the grandma, who was in poor health, was unharmed and not aware of the situation.
According to reports, there were three other firearms in the house prior to the incident
Leading up to the Feb. 20 incident, Laura had several problems with Gardner and the following suspicious circumstances:
? On Jan. 29, Gardner’s wife filed a police report alleging Todd used her grandma’s credit card to pay for a trip to North Carolina.
? As stated in reports, Gardner’s wife found him on Feb. 2 going through the bedroom clothes drawers after using a coat hanger to allegedly break into the home. Gardner claimed to be looking for his own clothes on that instance.
‘The Feb. 20 report also stated that sometime between Feb. 2 and Feb. 10, someone damaged the front door locks to the point they would not lock. She discovered the damage to the lock while having a locksmith out to change the locks because Gardner allegedly continued to call and harass her.
The reports indicate the wife obtained a personal protection order (P.P.O.) against Gardner on Feb. 15, but he was officially served the P.P.O.
Sergeant Baldes indicated the P.P.O. was served to Gardner, but he never appeared at the subsequent court date.
The wife also filed a police report on Feb. 17 after she discovered someone broke a window on a back door of the garage. Nothing was reported disturbed following the incident.