Plymouth police arrested a man who sent threatening emails to a local concrete company last Friday afternoon after hearing gunshots from his Karmada Street residence.
According to police reports, reports of the email threats were received from personnel at the Messina Concrete Inc. on Junction Street. The emails allegedly threatened both the owner of the business, Vince Messina, and Plymouth City Manager Paul Sincock. In the emails the suspect reportedly threatened to use a shotgun and an ArmaLite rifle as he took his complaints about noise from the concrete trucks and factory “in my own hands.”
“Within the email the suspect advised that he felt he needed to take action to shut the business down,” according to police reports of the incident.” He indicated he would use both a shotgun and AR15 and that people would get hurt or dead.”
Officers responded to the complaint about the threats in the late morning last Friday and while at the business, heard gunshots from the area of the suspect's nearby home. They called for back-up and when Plymouth Police Chief Al Cox arrived on the scene, he was unsuccessful in his attempt to speak to the suspect on his cell phone. Subsequently, officers from the Western Wayne County Special Operations Team arrived on the scene along with police officers from both Canton and Plymouth townships.
Neighbors in nearby homes were or told to “shelter in place” by police and the Plymouth-Canton schools issued an immediate lockdown in both East and West middle schools and Smith Elementary School.
The suspect surrendered to crisis team negotiators after about two hours of negotiations, police said, and was arrested and taken into police custody. Officers applied for a warrant to search the suspect's home for more firearms and other evidence.
The incident report has been referred to the office of the Wayne County prosecutor for review of charges.
