Herman Wenzel

     Sheriff’s deputies arrested a rural Mountain Home man, 76 year old HERMAN WENZEL, Friday evening, June 21^st, when they responded to a residence on Baxter CR 784 about a man attempting to harm himself with a rifle. 

     Deputies arrived on scene at approximately 7:52 PM and made contact with WENZEL and his wife.  WENZEL admitted to deputies he had attempted to harm himself with a firearm and that the firearm had in fact discharged.  WENZEL was not injured. 

     An ambulance was summoned, but WENZEL refused to go to the hospital for evaluation and ordered deputies to leave.  Deputies informed WENZEL that due to the existing circumstances his options were to voluntarily go to the hospital for evaluation and treatment or potentially face  a custodial mental health detention for the purpose of securing a professional mental health evaluation. 

     HERMAN WENZEL then made specific and direct threats to each deputy and to one paramedic that “I give you my word, I will hunt each one of you down and kill you before I kill myself”, and “your wife and kids are going to be without you.” 

     As a result of these specific threats, HERMAN WENZEL was arrested and taken into custody on four counts of TERRORISTIC THREATENING IN THE FIRST DEGREE, CLASS D FELONIES, and transported to the Detention Center.  WENZEL was later released from custody after posting $25,000 bond.  He will appear in Circuit Court on June 27^th.

/s/ John F. Montgomery,
Baxter County Sheriff