“He needed help and we provided the help he needed,” Whitman said of the man involved in the six-hour standoff with police.
UPDATE @ 4:03 p.m.:
A six-hour standoff in Franklin has ended.
An unidentified man surrendered peacefully at about 4 p.m., according to Franklin police Chief Russ Whitman.
The man was transported to an area hospital for evaluation at the request of his family.
UPDATE @ 3:10 p.m.:
A mental health crisis therapist has been called to the scene of a SWAT standoff in Franklin.
Franklin police Chief Russ Whitman said the expert is from Mental Health Recovery Services of Warren & Clinton Counties.
He has reiterated that police want a peaceful resolution to the standoff on Sixth Street that has lasted five hours.
UPDATE @ 2 p.m.:
Franklin Jr. High will dismiss at its normal time — 2:25 p.m. — today, according to Superintendent Michael Sander.
However, the school’s front entrances will remain closed. Students will only be permitted to leave the building from the back entrance, and Sixth Street will remain closed to public access.
MORE: 38 people indicted in Butler and Warren counties
April Banks told this news outlet that her son is an eighth-grader at the school.
“I was nervous,” she said after seeing reports on social media about the school lockdown.
“I just got a text from (my son) saying everything was OK,” Banks said.
UPDATE @ 12:50 p.m.:
Negotiators are speaking with “an Army veteran threatening suicide,” just across the street from Franklin Jr. High, according to Franklin police Chief Russ Whitman.
“We are hopeful that we are able to bring this to a peaceful resolve and get him the help he needs,” Whitman said in a statement.
MORE: Man fatally shot by Butler County Sheriff’s deputy suffered PTSD
UPDATE @ 12:01 p.m.:
A call for an “emotionally disturbed person” came in to police just after 10 a.m. today, according to Franklin police Chief Russ Whitman.
Students have been moved out of the front classrooms at Franklin Jr. High, which faces the home that is surrounded by SWAT team, according to Whitman.
MORE: Butler County shooting shows some battles for veterans fought at home
INITIAL REPORT:
Franklin Jr. High has been placed on lockdown as a SWAT team surrounds a home on Sixth Street.
A man inside a home in the 140 block of Sixth Street is threatening to harm himself, according to police scanner traffic.
Warren County Sheriff’s Office, Franklin police and Springboro police are on the scene.
Franklin Jr. High is located across the street from the home.
We will continue to update this story with new information.
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