A Hartly man was taken into custody July 2 following a five-hour standoff involving nearly 40 Delaware State Troopers.
    Police were called to a mobile home on the 3400 block of Judith Road southwest of Kenton at 12:19 p.m. after a woman called 911 to report a man had barricaded himself in a bedroom with a shotgun and threatened to harm himself, said Delaware State Police spokesman Sgt. Josh Bushweller.
    When police arrived at the home, the man “pointed a gun out the window at a trooper and started yelling,” Bushweller said. The suspect, later identified as Adderson G. Sego Jr., 41, told police he would harm himself or others if anyone came into the home. More troopers then were called to the scene, as well as an ambulance from Hartly Volunteer Fire Company and Ambulance.

    No traffic was allowed on Judith Corner Road between Dinah’s Corner and Lockwood Chapel roads, and several nearby homes were evacuated.
    Late in the standoff, police sent a robot to the home and were able to spot Sego lying on the floor, either sleeping or injured, Bushweller said. The police Special Operations Response Team entered the home and found him unresponsive. Several open containers of prescription drugs and a shotgun were recovered near Sego, who had no apparent injuries, Bushweller said.
    Sego was taken to an area hospital for a mental health evaluation. When he is released, he will be charged with possession of a weapon by a person prohibited. Sego is prohibited from possessing a weapon after being committed to a mental health institution in February 2008, Bushweller said. Sego also will be charged with offensive touching for allegedly grabbing his mother’s arm earlier in the day. He also was wanted for failing to appear in court for a prior charge of offensive touching of against a law enforcement officer.
    In addition to the special operations team, Delaware State Police hostage negotiators and the explosive ordinance disposal team were on the scene Wednesday. Bushweller estimated between 35 and 40 troopers were on the scene plus several EMS personnel and DelDOT workers.
   Jennifer Sprague is a staff writer for the Smyrna-Clayton Sun-Times, a sister paper to the Dover Post.