MIDDLETOWN – A 9-hour stand-off with a barricaded subject on Wednesday ended with no harm to anyone involved. The incident was brought to conclusion through successful negotiations with the subject that included the release of one family member during the standoff, announced Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

James P. Guiney, 39, of Kimberly Court in Middletown, is currently in custody in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution, Freehold Township, and is being held on various charges and outstanding warrants.

Middletown Township Police responded to a Kimberly Court apartment in the Maguire Grove complex for a report of a domestic dispute involving three individuals on Wednesday, June 27, 2018 around 7:54 a.m. The report also included information that one of the subjects was possibly armed with a gun and was holding another subject against his will. One family member was able to escape from the apartment before officers arrived.

Responding officers successfully made contact with Guiney. During the course of the incident, residents of several neighboring apartment units were safely evacuated by the officers on scene as a precaution.  Negotiations were initiated with Guiney, but were initially unsuccessful.  During the incident, officers were able to extract another family member being held in the apartment without incident.

“I commend the response by our tactical teams that were able to bring about a peaceful resolution that resulted in the arrest of James Guiney, without serious injury,” Gramiccioni said. “There were no injuries to any innocent persons or law enforcement personnel as a result of this incident.”

“Our primary concern was to protect the citizens of our community and see a swift and peaceful resolution. All of the officers and first responders involved in this incident performed their duties exceptionally well and worked together to achieve a successful outcome,” Middletown Police Chief Craig Weber said.

Guiney was subsequently charged with two counts of third degree Criminal Restraint, two counts of disorderly persons Simple Assault, fourth degree Obstruction of the Administration of Law, the disorderly persons offenses of Resisting Arrest, Hindering One’s Own Apprehension, and four counts of Contempt of Court with fines totaling $3,500.

Members of the Middletown Township Police Emergency Services Unit, Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, Monmouth County Emergency Response Team, Monmouth County Rapid Deployment Force and Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

If convicted of the third degree charge, Guiney faces a sentence of three to five years in prison.

If convicted of fourth degree offense, Guiney faces up to 18 months in state prison.

The disorderly orderly Contempt of Court charges carry a maximum sentence of no more than 364 days in the county jail.

Despite these charges, every defendant is presumed innocent, unless and until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, following a trial at which the defendant has all of the trial rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and State law.

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