A Rindge man arrested after a standoff with police at his Birch Drive home in June has been indicted on one felony count of criminal threatening.
Joshua Whitcomb, 40, surrendered to police on June 25 after an hours-long standoff with police and was at that time arrested on a warrant for two felonies – criminal threatening with a weapon and a domestic violence-related assault. When his home was searched two shotguns were seized.
Whitcomb allegedly threatened and assaulted his former girlfriend at the home the night before when she came by to pick up some of her belongings, according to court documents. She had been living with Whitcomb in the home but moved out in February.
The class B felony indictment alleges Whitcomb, by physical contact purposely placed or attempted to place another in fear of imminent bodily injury or physical contact in that, having hurled accusations at her, he held onto her clothing with his hand as he brandished a firearm.
During the incident Tuesday night Whitcomb allegedly accused his former girlfriend of cheating on him, then grabbed the front of her “shirt with one hand while he grabbed a nearby shotgun with the other hand,” court documents said. “He ‘racked’ the shotgun back in order to put a round into the chamber. A shotgun shell fell to the hardwood floor” which was heard by other people in the house at the time. When they came to see what was going on they found Whitcomb holding both his former girlfriend and the shotgun, the court documents said.
Whitcomb then told his former girlfriend to leave “or I will point this gun at you again,” according to the court documents. Witnesses told police Whitcomb was heavily intoxicated at the time.
The former girlfriend told police Whitcomb was also suicidal at the time and that before she left his home the night of June 24, “Whitcomb shook a bottle of his ‘anger’ medication pills at her and told her he was going to take them all,” court documents said.
Whitcomb was indicted on the felony charge by a Cheshire County grand jury on Aug. 26. An indictment formerly charges someone with a criminal offense and is not a ruling of guilt but a determination by a grand jury that there is enough evidence to move the charges forward to a trial.