Domestic Violence Incident Leads to Assault on Officers

LOWER TOWNSHIP POLICE RELEASE:
VILLAS — On Sunday, July 12 at approximately 4:30 p.m., Lower Township Police Officer Eric Coombs was conducting a follow up investigation regarding a domestic violence incident in the 100 Block of West Greenwood Avenue in the Villas Section of Lower Township.
Officer Coombs had been to the residence several hours earlier when a woman there reported that her husband had just trashed her house and left the area.
The woman was reporting that her husband had returned and was being belligerent.
When Officer Coombs confronted the male, identified as Elwood Probst, 60, in the backyard, Probst picked up a four foot long wooden pole and took a fighting stance and demanded the officer get off his property.
Officer Coombs then called for back up and was assisted at the scene by Captain Louis Russo.
When Russo arrived on scene, Probst raised the pole in the air and advised the officers they would ‘Have to shoot him.”
The officers then drew their batons and advanced on Probst ordering him to drop the pole at which point Probst complied with their orders.
Probst was arrested at the scene and charged with the following offenses:
Attempted Aggravated Assault on Police Officers
Possession of a Weapon For Unlawful Purposes
Criminal Mischief stemming from the original Domestic Violence complaint.