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A New Jersey police officer shootout... blamed his job and steroids for his problems.
http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/loca...005263843.html
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A New Jersey police officer who fired at police and barricaded himself inside the Doylestown Township home he formerly shared with his wife and children on Father's Day blamed his job and steroids for his problems.
“I get angry,” Richard Klementovich emailed his estranged wife. “Angry at this job and law enforcement. And it's them who I will take out my anger on.”
Klementovich kept police at bay for 10 hours from inside the home at 25 Bittersweet Drive where his estranged wife and kids still live, firing numerous shots at police from alternating windows, destroying two police vehicles and damaging an armored car.
“They will do the job I couldn't and take my life,” his email goes on, according to court records. “I hope whomever comes to our house is ready to die tomorrow because I will be Jill.”
Police said Klementovich was referring to his wife, Jill Major. The two are in the midst of divorce proceedings described as bitter by a co-worker of Klementovich's at the Clifton, N.J., police department.
Bucks County records show that Jill Major filed a divorce complaint in October 2011, petitioning to end the marriage that began Sept. 19, 1997, in Somerset, N.J.
The couple purchased their home in Doylestown Lea at the corner of Bittersweet and Windsor Way in 2006, however, court records indicate the property was transferred into her name only in December.
Police said Klementovich contacted his estranged wife earlier on Father's Day to arrange to meet her and their two elementary school-age children for a meal in an unnamed restaurant. However, instead of going to the restaurant, Klementovich went to the house on Bittersweet Drive, police said.
He barricaded an interior staircase, and at 1:44 p.m. called 911 to report a civil dispute at the home, according to court records.
When a Doylestown Township officer arrived at the home, he spotted a manila envelope in the driveway with a note attached, police said. The note explained he had scoped rifles, 2,000 rounds of ammunition, that he was a cop and he was "ready to die.”
Moments later, about 1:58 p.m., the officer heard numerous gunshots. Two borough police officers soon arrived and faced a hail of bullets. One bullet caused road debris to hit Doylestown Cpl. William Doucette's face. Doucette was later treated at Doylestown Hospital for minor injuries and released.
Soon SWAT units from across the county were called in and the standoff began. Police escorted numerous residents from their homes and closed the neighborhood to incoming traffic.
A reverse 911 call system advised residents to lock their doors, close their drapes and take shelter in their basements.
Negotiators from the Central Bucks Special Response Team made sporadic communications with Klementovich throughout the day. Doylestown Township acting police Chief Dean Logan said Clifton police joined the negotiations Sunday afternoon.
More gunshots were exchanged with police about 4 p.m.
Klementovich's parents then shared with police a text message from their son that they received at 4:35 p.m., according to court records.
“Tell the police I have a surprise for them, this is the way I want to die.”
About 5 p.m., a third and final round of gunfire was exchanged with police. Then sporadic negotiations continued, police said.
Logan on Monday said that police are still investigating how many rounds were fired on each side of the standoff.
In the email to his wife, Klementovich apologized to her for “personal shortcomings,” according to court records. He said he was on steroids and mentioned dying several times.
But in the end, Klementovich surrendered to the very men he was allegedly trying to kill and hoping would kill him.
At 11:45 p.m., after 10 hours, he surrendered to police wearing a bulletproof vest and gas mask. He said nothing as he was escorted into the Doylestown Township police headquarters in the township municipal building.
He was arraigned before District Judge Robert Gaffney on 13 counts of attempted murder and related offenses early Monday morning. Gaffney ordered Klementovich to undergo a mental health evaluation and set bail at 10 percent of $1 million. He is currently on suicide watch at Bucks County prison.
Police continued to search Klementovich's home early Monday, concerned that the “surprise” he mentioned in the text message to his parents was a bomb reference. However, there were no indications police located a bomb. Investigators returned to the home during daylight to search the home and collect evidence. The two damaged police cars, and a civilian vehicle that was significantly damaged were left at the scene.
According to The Record of Bergen County, Klementovich has been a Clifton officer since 1998 and earns $102,752 a year. Klementovich has been on a four-week leave from work for a non-work related physical injury, officials told The Record. He is a Desert Storm veteran who served in the Army Airborne.
Clifton police Lt. Pat Ciser, who worked with Klementovich, was shocked by the news. He said Klementovich was a dedicated, proactive cop with a solid record.
Bucks County District Attorney David Heckler said he would likely seek a bail increase, if it appeared Klementovich might be released on bail.
"I do not want to see this guy get out," he said.
Staff writers Theresa Hegel and Freda Savana contributed to this report.
