Avon Man Arrested After Standoff Appears in Court

An Avon man who police said threatened violence to himself and officers during an overnight standoff last Sunday at his Lovely Street home has not entered a plea yet for charges he faces as a result of the incident.

Brian Benjamin, 53, appeared in court Wednesday and his case was continued to Jan. 29.

Police arrested Benjamin, of 373 Lovely St. in Avon, Monday afternoon after his release from medical care, charging him with third-degree assault, first-degree criminal mischief, criminal use of FM or an electronic, interfering with an officer and second-degree threatening.

After barricading himself in his home last Sunday with a weapon for nearly 13 hours, negotiators convinced him to come outside around 3 a.m. Monday. Police subdued him with "less lethal munitions" when he did not cooperate. He was treated for "superficial injuries" at an area hospital.

Neighbors who were evacuated and put up in hotels for the night have since been allowed to return to their homes. A portion of Lovely Street was closed off for the duration of the incident.

Avon police arrested Benjamin once before on threatening charges in connection to an October 2007 incident, according to the state judicial website. He pleaded guilty the following year and received a one-year suspended jail sentence and two years of probation. Before his verdict date for that case, a judge continued his probation from a previous arrest, finding him guilty of violating its terms in January 2008.

In 2006, Benjamin pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol in Enfield the year before, according to the state judicial website.