A Forestville man was arrested Tuesday following a five-hour standoff with Sonoma County deputies.
Michael Ritchie, 38 years old, of Forestville, was arrested by deputies for threatening a postal worker with a knife.
Deputies were dispatched to the Forestville Post Office at 11:13 a.m. for a report of a person brandishing a weapon at an employee, according to an announcement from the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.
“Deputies found Ritchie in the 6800 block of Highway 116 South and began speaking with him. Ritchie was holding an axe, which he raised over his head, and yelled at the deputies that he wanted to start a war. He swung the axe and lunged towards the deputies at the scene,” the announcement states.
Deputies surrounded the property Ritchie fled to and began negotiating with him to surrender. The deputies used the SCSO’s hostage negotiations team, which led a five-hour negotiation before a SWAT team was called.
“A deputy used a less-lethal round and K-9 Duke to take Ritchie into custody which slowed him down. Ritchie swung the axe at K-9 Duke and missed. K-9 Duke was not injured. The deputies used a taser on Ritchie to safely take him into custody,” the announcement states.
Ritchie was transported to an area hospital for medical treatment. Ritchie was later booked into the Sonoma County Main Adult Detention Facility.
Ritchie was charged with three felonies — assault with a deadly weapon, death threats, resisting arrest — and the misdemeanor charges of brandishing a weapon and obstructing a K-9. Ritchie remains in-custody with a $50,000 bail.
