A Michigan man was arrested after he damaged property and injured an officer in an incident that caused the closure of State College Regional Airport early Sunday morning, according to Penn State police.
Jeffrey W. Roeder, of Michigan, is facing felony charges of aggravated assault and criminal mischief, along with misdemeanor counts of terroristic threats, recklessly endangering another person and resisting arrest.
University police and other local law enforcement were dispatched at about 2:15 a.m. to the airport in Benner Township, where Roeder was loitering and would run away and attempt to hide when approached, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
When police arrived, Roeder was at the rental car kiosks in the baggage claim area damaging property, including computer monitors and a chair, and was throwing items into the common area, according to the affidavit.
Roeder brandished a knife and threatened to stab an officer when ordered to stop, then backed into a rental car kiosk and refused to come out, police wrote.
While officers attempted to get Roeder to surrender, he displayed “unstable behaviors,” making references to “ninjas” and saying that he was high on methamphetamine, according to the affidavit.
Roeder continued damaging airport and rental car company property, police wrote, as he used to the knife to cut chairs and damage walls. He also allegedly continued to brandish the knife in the direction of an officer, and while hiding behind a counter “would stick his arm out and swing the knife wildly.”
At about 6:15 a.m., members of the Centre County Tactical Response Team used a taser and a bean bag round to take Roeder into custody. He refused to surrender the knife and caused a laceration to an officer’s hand.
Centre County Airport Authority Executive Director Ralph Stewart said an unattended backpack was also found in the parking lot and cleared before the airport reopened. Fire police were dispatched at around 5 a.m to close off the entrance to the airport.
The airport was closed during the incident “out of an abundance of caution,” Penn State spokesperson Wyatt DuBois said. The airport and Centre County 911 wrote in Facebook posts early Sunday morning that there was not threat to the public.
Normal operations resumed at 8:30 a.m., with two morning flights delayed.
Damage caused during the incident is projected to exceed $7,500, police wrote.
Roeder had not yet been arraigned as of 3 p.m. on Sunday.
