Justin Lloyd Lee Jr., 33, of South Williamsport is facing multiple charges after police say he entered a neighbor’s deck armed with a knife and a three-foot staff and struck the neighbor. Lee was handcuffed on the back porch in the 400 block of West Central Avenue when officers responded on September 17.
According to NorthcentralPA.com, the neighbor, a state parole employee, had called 911 to request a welfare check after hearing Lee break windows at his own home. Police say Lee then entered the neighbor’s deck carrying the knife and staff and demanded drugs.
Police Account of the Deck Encounter
Police say Lee hit the neighbor’s left ribs with the staff. The neighbor restrained Lee and held him on the deck until officers arrived. Officers recovered a foot-long knife with a five-inch blade and a black plastic staff measuring just over three feet, NorthcentralPA.com reported.
Police say Lee spit on the neighbor’s arm as he was being taken to a patrol car. Investigators said Lee told them he had taken mushrooms before the confrontation. Officers took him to UPMC Williamsport for evaluation.
Police Report Threats at Hospital
Police say Lee threatened officers and a nurse at the hospital, warning that many people would die, according to an affidavit cited by NorthcentralPA.com. After Lee became increasingly aggressive, hospital staff gave him a sedative and restrained him. When Lee later tried to get out of his hospital bed, officers held him down.
Police also reported that Lee threatened a hospital security officer with death and said he would rip off the officer’s arms and beat him with them.
What Federal Data Show About Workplace Violence
According to NIOSH’s Workplace Violence Prevention for Healthcare page, citing Bureau of Labor Statistics data, health care and social assistance workers had a 2020 incidence rate of 10.3 per 10,000 full-time workers for injuries resulting from assaults and violent acts by other persons. That national, industry-wide measure concerns injuries; it does not establish a local trend or explain the threats alleged at one Williamsport hospital.
Charges Filed
Lee was charged with attempted robbery, aggravated assault, terroristic threats, defiant trespass, simple trespass and harassment. NorthcentralPA.com reported the charges and the events leading to Lee’s arrest and hospital evaluation.
