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Walworth County man sent to mental health facility

ELKHORN — A Richmond Township man accused of shooting at police during a daylong December standoff has been transferred to a mental institution.

Richard L. Sallmann, 49, of W8486 Turtle Lake Road, Delavan, recently was moved to Winnebago Mental Health Institute for psychiatric evaluation, according to Walworth County Jail officials.

The evaluation will help the court decide if Sallmann is competent for court proceedings, which could stall if Sallmann is found to be incompetent.

Attorney Christopher Kuehn, who has represented Sallmann in previous court proceedings, said Sallmann has severe mental health issues, including bipolar disorder. He believes his client is not competent but is likely to become competent if given the proper medication.

Before his transfer to Winnebago Mental Health Institute, Sallmann was being held in a rubber safety cell at the Walworth County Jail, Sheriff David Graves said.

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.

Assistant District Attorney Diane Donohoo said Sallmann will be charged with three counts of first-degree reckless endangering safety.