MSP arrest man for threatening judge after lengthy standoff in Athol

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ATHOL, Mass. - A man who police were attempting to arrest on a warrant for threatening a state judge refused to surrender, leading to a lengthy standoff in Athol.

An investigation into threats made against the judge, who Massachusetts State Police did not name, suggested the suspect, Jeffery Wheeler, 56, of South Street, could be in possession of a firearm even though his license to carry one had been revoked.

“It was scary because we didn’t know what it was," said Killian Anderson, a neighbor.

Anderson and Wendy Woodbury both live next door to Wheeler and say their neighbor often acted paranoid and aggressive.

“He threatened  to sue me for using my back door to let my dog out," said Woodbury.

"Everyone wanted him off the street," said Anderson.

Troopers from the Athol barracks were looking for the suspect when they saw his vehicle outside of his home. MSP said around 7 p.m. they established a perimeter around the residence which appeared to be monitored by surveillance cameras.

Cellphone video recorded by a neighbor shows Wheeler's stand-off with police that lasted all night into the morning.

The suspect refused to surrender and after eight hours of negotiations the Massachusetts State Police Special Tactical Operations Team made entry around 3 a.m. and had to use a Taser to subdue Wheeler, according to the MSP.

Wheeler was then taken to the hospital for an examination and later brought to the State Police barracks in Athol for booking.

He is being charged with threatening a Massachusetts judge, but neighbors said he threatened them too.

“He was friendly at first and then something must have happened because then he just started threatening everybody in the neighborhood, walking up and down with his files, talking about suing Washington," said Woodbury.

Wheeler's house has handmade warning signs posted on the doors and windows, where one of them says, "Legal notice: no video, no audio of this home as of June 17, 2018, violations of federal, state and constitutional laws."

Court records show Wheeler is a former employee of the Massachusetts Department of Corrections. According to those documents, he was accused of harassing a co-worker at MCI Shirley.

In October 2016, Wheeler got into another stand-off with police after he threatened investigators.

Cox Media Group