A New Hampshire man is facing charges after police say he barricaded himself in his Seabrook home Tuesday morning, which caused area residents to shelter-in-place.
James Pontoo, 53, was charged with criminal threatening and reckless conduct — both felony level offenses.
Seabrook Police responded to 33 Walton Rd. at 6:53 a.m. for a report of a man who said he was going to harm himself.
Upon arrival, an officer was able to go inside the home where he allegedly observed Pontoo holding a handgun to his head inside a bedroom, threatening to harm himself.
The officer made several attempts to de-escalate the situation but Pontoo refused to drop the handgun. While attempting to step further into the bedroom, police said Pontoo threatened the officer until he backed out of the room.
Other officers then arrived and evacuated other residents from the home.
A perimeter was set up around the home and surrounding area where residents were told to shelter in place.
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The Seacoast Emergency Response Team responded to the scene and assisted with perimeter safety and negotiations with Pontoo until he finally surrendered a few hours later and was taken into custody.
Pontoo is scheduled to be arraigned in the Rockingham County Superior Court March 14. It's unclear if he has an attorney.
