Staff Report

Gary Schmucker

ATWOOD — A Warsaw man was recently arrested for allegedly threatening two people and forcing them into a basement.

Gary Schmucker, 45, 6321 W. 100N, Warsaw, is charged with intimidation with a deadly weapon and possession of methamphetamine, both level 5 felonies; two counts of confinement, both level 6 felonies; and possession of paraphernalia, a class C misdemeanor.

On April 28, Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a residence south of Atwood regarding a report of a man with a weapon. The reporting person said the man, later identified as Schmucker, had threatened to shoot everyone inside the home.

According to court documents, 911 dispatch made contact with a man in the home, who said Schmucker was walking around individuals while holding a firearm. He said Schmucker stated he was going to kill everyone in the residence if anything went wrong. Schmucker then allegedly went into a different room and smoked meth.

KCSO deputies were able to safely evacuate the man, a woman, and three children from the residence. A deputy spoke with the woman, who said on April 27, Schmucker started making statements about the man in the residence being an undercover police officer. She said Schmucker began acting erratically and speaking of delusions about being set up for murder.

Schmucker then began carrying a loaded AR-style rifle around the home and ordered the man and woman to go into the residence’s basement. Schmucker followed them into the basement while carrying the rifle and used meth in front of them. He also made several comments about killing everyone if he saw the cops or if either of them worked with the cops.

The woman said she and the man were able to leave when they convinced Schmucker that they needed to take care of the three children inside the home.

The man provided a similar account of the incident and said Schmucker had become “increasingly dangerous” since he began using meth. He also said Schmucker would walk the property’s perimeter with a loaded weapon, stalking an unknown person.

Officers deployed chemical munitions inside the home and Schmucker surrendered. After obtaining a search warrant for the residence, officers found several items of drug paraphernalia and firearms. One of the drug pipes tested positive for meth.

In an interview with a KCSO detective, Schmucker said he told the man and woman on April 27 that they needed to move out. He denied taking them into the basement but admitted to walking upstairs with an assault rifle and handgun at his side.

Schmucker was booked in the Kosciusko County Jail on April 28.