POTTSVILLE, Pa. — It all started Tuesday afternoon on West Norwegian Street when Pottsville Police tried to serve an arrest warrant for 57-year-old John Liptok Senior.
Police say just after 4 p.m., Liptok came outside holding what appeared to be a dark green hand grenade.
Liptok said, "You know what this is. If you come in my house, it's going to go off." Liptok later called police, saying he was sending his son outside.
Liptok also told officers that he had pulled the pin on the grenade and planned to turn on the gas. That's when authorities evacuated nearby homes.
Early Wednesday morning, after 13 hours, police searched the home and realized that Liptok had left at some point.
He was then spotted near a cemetery about a mile away from his home and taken into custody.
Court documents show Liptok is locked up in Schuylkill County on charges including terroristic threats, weapons of mass destruction, and bomb threats.
A judge denied bail, and he is due back in court in about three weeks.
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