Man who sought to die gives up after standoff

A two-hour standoff between officers and a 31-year-old man who wanted them to kill him ended without injury, town police said Monday.

James E. Havens was taken into custody after the standoff, which occurred late Sunday afternoon at 4 Watertown Road in Hyde Park, police said.

Police said they received a call about 4:30 p.m. from Havens, who told them that he had stabbed himself in a bathroom in the home. When officers arrived, Havens was on the front porch was waving a kitchen knife, police said.

“He told responding officers repeatedly that he wanted the police to shoot him and ‘end it

all right now,’” police said is a press release. “He also stated to responding officers that ‘I’m going to die tonight, so why don’t one of you walk through the door so you can come with me?’”

Officers were told by Haven’s father that there were firearms in the house, police said.

Police said Havens eventually went back into the house and began throwing objects at the Hyde Park officers, who were joined at the scene by members of the state police, the Poughkeepsie Police Department, the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office, the Hyde Park Fire Department and paramedics.

Negotiators from the

state police, the sheriff’s office and the Poughkeepsie police were able to establish talks with Havens and the sheriff’s Emergency Services Unit surrounded the house, police said.

“After approximately two hours of sporadic contact with the subject in which he would become increasingly agitated and threatening and ultimately disconnect, the subject agreed to come out of the house,” Hyde Park police said.

Havens was found to have suffered superficial cuts and was taken to MidHudson Regional Hospital in Poughkeepsie for treatment and a mental health evaluation, police said.

Police did not immediately say whether Havens would face any criminal charges. They said the matter remained under investigation.