Portsmouth police have been called to the same Blue Rock Drive home again and again in recent weeks, each time with the same troubling mix of confusion, suspected break-ins, and guns.
This time, things escalated far enough that the man was eventually taken to Southern Ohio Medical Center for a mental health evaluation.
The latest round of calls started around 1:30 a.m. October 2, when the resident told police he had come home and found an unknown rifle lying on his bed.
Officers already knew the address well.
Previous calls involved the same man, who police have said has dementia, lives alone, owns multiple firearms, and has unsafe gun-handling habits. In one earlier incident, officers found him searching his basement with a revolver after he believed someone had broken into his home.
Police have contacted Adult Protective Services more than once about his situation.
Another Gun, Another APS Call
During the latest visit, officers spoke with the man and took one firearm for safekeeping.
They also contacted Adult Protective Services again.
About 90 minutes later, the man called 911 again.
Dispatchers could barely hear him and weren’t sure what the problem was. Officers returned, made contact, and reported that he checked okay at that time.
But the situation changed again later that day.
“I Think I’m in Columbus”
Around 2 p.m., the man called 911 and told dispatchers he believed he was in a building somewhere in the Columbus area.
He was still in Portsmouth.
Shawnee Family Health was contacted and sent representatives to the scene.
An officer then transported the man to Southern Ohio Medical Center, with Shawnee Family Health following.
According to the police log, mental health representatives completed the paperwork for an involuntary emergency psychiatric evaluation, commonly called a “pink slip.”
Weeks of Warning Signs
The latest incident comes after several earlier calls that raised concern about whether the man could safely remain alone.
On September 18, he called police believing someone had stolen his money and belongings. Officers found his doors and windows locked and discovered that he still had the money and debit cards he thought were missing.
That officer documented the man’s dementia, multiple firearms, and unsafe weapon handling and recommended that two officers respond to future calls because of safety concerns.
Adult Protective Services was contacted.
A few days later, officers returned after the man asked police to check around his home for possible intruders.
An officer spotted him in the basement searching with a revolver in his hand. The officer waited until the man went upstairs before knocking and identifying himself as police.
Police contacted APS and Shawnee Mental Health after that call as well.
This Time, He Got More Than Another Welfare Check
For weeks, the pattern had been the same: the man called police, officers checked on him, documented concerns, contacted outside agencies, and left.
This time, after he reported an unexplained rifle on his bed and later believed he was somewhere near Columbus, mental health workers stepped in and he was taken to the hospital for evaluation.
The police log does not say what happened after he reached SOMC, whether he was admitted, or what will happen with the firearms still at his home.
But after several calls involving confusion, dementia, and access to guns, this was the first recent incident in which the logs show him being transported for an emergency mental health evaluation.