Police Charge Villas Man with Kidnapping, Threats, Weapons Offences

VILLAS — On Oct. 7 at approximately 11:30 a.m., Lower Township police received a report of a domestic incident in the first block of Mckinley Avenue.
Upon arrival, Patrolman Michael Szemcsak entered the residence and observed Jerry Handlovsky, 45, of the 100 block of Mckinley Avenue, holding a large chef style knife up in the air. Also on scene was the reporting party/victim who is Handlovsky’s estranged wife.
Szemcsak immediately pulled his service weapon and advised Handlovsky to drop the knife. After several moments and multiple orders to drop the knife Hand lovsky stabbed the knife into the kitchen table after yelling at the officer to shoot him, police said.
Handlovsky then turned toward his wife and then picked up the knife again holding it on himself. Szemcsak attempted to take him into custody but backed off after he picked up the knife again.
Handlovsky then handed the knife to his estranged wife and while doing so cut his own hand. Corporal William Priole arrived on scene and cuffed the defendant while Szemcsak held him at gunpoint.
Lower Township Rescue Responded and provided emergency medical treatment and transported Handlovsky to the Cape Regional Medical Center escorted by police personnel.
Follow-up investigation revealed that the victim had left her residence to pickup Handlovsky so that he could attend a court hearing at Lower Township Municipal Court where he was charged with two counts of driving while intoxicated in July and August of 2008.
Upon proceeding to his residence, she discovered that he was not there and found him walking on a nearby street. Upon him entering the vehicle he advised her he was not going to court and then pulled out a fixed hunting style knife and told her to take him to her house, according to police.
At her house, Handlovsky made several threatening gestures toward himself and her and at one point put the hunting knife down on a table and the victim grabbed the knife and threw it over a fence in the backyard where it was recovered later by police.
Handlovsky then removed another knife from a kitchen drawer and was holding that knife at the time of police arrival as denoted above.
Handlovsky was arrested and charged with kidnapping, terroristic threats, criminal restraint and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
Judge David DeWeese issued the warrant and Superior Court Judge Raymond Batten JSC set bail on the kidnapping charge at $100,000. The bail for the other listed charges was blanketed under the kidnapping bail.
Patrolman Michael Szemcsak, Patrolman William Barcus, Corporal Priole, Detective Joseph Boyle and Sergeant Dave Adams investigated the case.