Court appearance tied to Tuesday’s standoff is delayed

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

A court appearance for a Van Wert man involved in a Tuesday standoff on the city’s west side was put on hold on Thursday.

John D. Wise, 48, of Burt St. was scheduled to be arraigned in Van Wert Municipal Court via a video appearance Thursday morning, but it was taken off the schedule for the time being. Instead, Wise is expected to undergo a mental health evaluation to determine if he’s competent to understand the charges against him.

It’s unclear if or when the arraignment will be rescheduled.

Wise is currently charged with possessing weapons under disability, a third degree felony, and aggravated menacing of a police officer, a fifth degree felony. If Wise is found competent to stand trial, the case is expected to be bound over to Van Wert County Common Pleas Court.

Wise was arrested late Tuesday night after barricading himself in his home for nearly seven hours.

Accoring to Van Wert Police Chief Doug Weigle, at approximately 3:50 p.m. Tuesday, the Van Wert Police Department received several calls of an armed man walking along N. Burt St. One person claimed he was stumbling, while another said Wise stated he was looking for someone with a warrant.

Officers responded to the scene and found Wise walking in the 600 block of N. Burt St. with an AR-15 and a handgun. Officers ordered him to stop and he raised his gun and pointed it at an officer, then ran into his nearby residence.

A crisis negotiator from the Van Wert County Sheriff’s Office was called in and tried to speak with him over the phone, but according to Weigle, Wise made several comments about “there was going to be a shootout.” At one point, Wise became upset  and shot his gun out the window, then texted the negotiator “I mean business.”

The Van Wert Police Department’s Special Response Team set up a perimeter and due to safety concerns, Burt St. and adjoining areas were blocked off to traffic and nearby residents were evacuated.

Drones from the Van Wert Police Department and the Sheriff’s Office were sent into in the air and flood lights provided by Van Wert County EMA were brought to the scene.

Due to the number of guns reported to be in Wise’s home and the threats, the Van Wert Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol and the Auglaize County Bearcat were called in to assist with Bearcat units. One of them  broke out a window at the front of the house and a drone was flown into the house to try to locate Wise. After several commands, Wise came out and surrendered.

The all-clear was given at approximately 11 p.m. Later, a search warrant was executed at Wise’s home and law enforcement officers found 10 long guns, four handguns and a sizable amount of ammunition. The majority of guns were loaded.