Advertisement

With the assistance of her children and a friend, the woman successfully loaded the possessions into her vehicle and was leaving the house when her estranged husband, Gary Humphries, pushed her back in and shut the door.

What ensued was a stand off between authorities and Humphries that could have ended much worse than it did.

The woman's friend alerted police from a nearby home and at approximately 4:15 p.m. officer Greg Clark of the Metamora Police Department responded to the call.

Clark, assisted by officer Andy VerPlanck of the Dryden Police Department, attempted to make contact with the two, but Humphries refused to open the door, telling authorities to leave as there was no problem.

Humphries, 49, then instructed authorities to call his cell phone, yelling the number through the closed door. When officers called the number, there was no answer.

Police then heard the woman's cry for help and entered the home. Inside they found Humphries with a 13-inch stainless steal butcher knife to the woman's throat; her hands were bloodied from unsuccessful attempts at fending him off.

When Humphries refused to drop the knife, officers were forced to use their tasers to subdue him.

"If it wasn't for the taser, he would have been shot," said Sgt. Dave Eady of the Metamora Police Department. "There wouldn't have been any other options."

The woman was transported by Lapeer County EMS to Lapeer Regional Medical Center.

Saturday's altercation was not the first at the address as officers have assisted at the house before, Eady said.

"You don't know what people will do," he said. "That's the problem with domestics because everyone thinks everything will be OK but it doesn't take much to put someone over the edge."

Humphries was arraigned at the 71-A District Court on Monday on one charge of assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder, a ten-year felony.

Bond was set at $100,000.

A no contact order was issued between Humphries and the victim and no alcohol was made as a condition of the bond.

Humphries requested a court appointed attorney, but has enough income and assets to obtain his own, Magistrate Gregory Wise determined.

Humphries will appear before Judge Laura Cheger Barnard on Friday at 9 a.m.

Lauren Soukup can be reached at (810) 664-0811, Ext. 8127 or lauren.soukup@lapeergroup.com.