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Richmond Township standoff man enters insanity plea

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Richard L. Sallmann

ELKHORN — A Richmond Township man accused of shooting at police during a daylong December standoff pleaded not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect Thursday.

Richard L. Sallmann, 49, of W8486 Turtle Lake Road, Delavan, recently was moved back to the Walworth County Jail from Winnebago Mental Health Institute.

Defense attorney Christopher Kuehn previously said Sallmann has severe mental health issues, including bipolar disorder.

Sallmann faces six felony charges of reckless safety endangerment by use of a firearm. He is also with a misdemeanor count of resisting an officer.

Judge John Race on Thursday ordered a mental evaluation to determine Sallmann's mental condition at the time of the crime. The evaluation is to be returned within 45 days, Race ordered.

To be found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect, a jury must conclude that a defendant did not know right from wrong at the time of the offense and was not able to act within the law.

The standoff started the morning of Dec. 29 when the sheriff’s office received a 911 call about a domestic situation at the residence.

Authorities said the caller was Sallmann’s 23-year-old son, who came to the house after one of his younger sisters called him because the father had pointed a gun at her. Sallmann’s two daughters, ages 10 and 13, were with him at the house on Turtle Lake Road.

Once the son arrived at the house, Sallmann pointed the gun at him and threatened to shoot all three, the 23-year-old told authorities.

Deputies rescued the daughters from the property around noon and took them to be with family.

Before his surrender around 7 p.m., Sallmann fired several shots at law enforcement throughout the day. One shot came close to hitting a Walworth County deputy, Graves said. No one was injured.

Sallmann is due in court for a status hearing on April 16.