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An armed Johnsburg man who police say barricaded himself in his home Wednesday had called 911 several hours before the standoff began, prompting officers to be dispatched to the house, according to recordings of two 911 calls obtained by the Northwest Herald.
Timothy Mumford – who police say was experiencing a mental health crisis when he held officers at bay for nine hours starting late Tuesday night – had told a 911 dispatcher about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday he saw suspicious vehicles outside his house and “terrorist activity around the area.”
Johnsburg Police Chief Jason Greenwald later told the Northwest Herald in an email that, after officers arrived at the Mumford home that afternoon in response to his 911 call, “he became evasive in his responses. Mr. Mumford ultimately disengaged from the Officer and went back in the home.”
Greenwald said Mumford’s wife “was observed by the Officer, and a welfare interview was conducted with her. The wife related that she has concerns for her husband’s mental health, however, she understood that with the limited information provided by Mr. Mumford no action could be taken by the police based on the initial observations.
“As their conversation continued,” the chief wrote,“ the Officer offered a referral with our Police Social Worker, and asked her if she felt safe in the home with her husband. The wife indicated that she felt safe, and the Officer advised that police could take her to safety if she ever felt it was needed. The wife declined assistance indicating she did not feel unsafe, but accepted the PSW Referral. The wife indicated that she was aware that action could only be taken if Mr. Mumford was a harm to himself or others including herself. The wife was advised to contact police at anytime she wanted assistance.”
About seven hours later after that call, Johnsburg police were dispatched again to the home after a second 911 call, this time from Mumford’s wife, who told a dispatcher there were “probably more” than 10 guns in the house.
The woman told police that her husband had been carrying a gun since around the time the police had visited the residence Tuesday afternoon. She added it was “normal” for her husband to carry guns.
She said he had shot a gun five times in the house a few minutes before she called 911, but she also said she did not feel he would harm her. She said he stores his guns in his bedroom.
She raised concerns to the dispatcher about his mental state, adding that he hadn’t had any “issues” in 17 years, although what specific issue was being referred to is unclear because it was redacted in the report.
When a dispatcher asked if he had 10 guns, trying to get a sense of how many firearms were in the household, she said there was “probably more” than that.
Later in the call, the dispatcher asked her to go outside, and she passed by her husband in the living room on her way out the door and said she took her dog with her.
She said he had all the lights off in the house and so she couldn’t see if he was holding a gun.
After the nine-hour standoff – during which police say Timothy Mumford became increasingly uncooperative in negotiations and refused to surrender – the McHenry County Sheriff’s SWAT team and local police were able to remove him from the house.
Mumford, 74, was sent to a hospital for treatment and charged with reckless discharge of a firearm, a felony, and misdemeanor reckless conduct, according to authorities and court records.