A Princeton man, who was airlifted to a hospital in Paducah after a lengthy standoff with police last week, has been charged with multiple counts of wanton endangerment.
Princeton Assistant Police Chief Shane Allison reports last Tuesday detectives requested a criminal complaint warrant be issued for 70-year old Richard Oliver with two counts of menacing, third-degree terroristic threatening, three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment and two counts of first-degree wanton endangerment of a police officer.
He says Oliver was taken into custody on the strength of a Caldwell County Arrest Warrant by Paducah Police after being released from the hospital. He was lodged in the McCracken County Jail.
The charges stem from last Monday night around 7:00, when officers with the Princeton Police Department and deputies with the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office responded to a home near the 500 block of East Shepardson Street for a male subject, later identified as Oliver, that had allegedly brandished a firearm at medical emergency personnel that had responded to an emergency call at the residence.
After law enforcement arrived on the scene, Oliver reportedly pointed a firearm at them and barricaded himself within his residence. Allison said negotiators then attempted to mediate a peaceful resolution with Oliver for three hours and 45 minutes.
At 10:45 p.m., police said officers heard Oliver calling for help from within the residence before they approached and observed him lying on the floor with a gunshot wound to his leg. Upon entering the home, officers initiated life–saving measures and secured the scene for EMS to arrive. Allision said it was unknown at that time whether the gunshot wound was accidental or intentional.
Oliver was transported by ambulance to Caldwell County Hospital and later transferred to Lourdes Hospital in Paducah.
Officers were assisted at the scene by negotiators from Kentucky State Police and the Madisonville Police Department, the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office, and Caldwell County EMS.
