OLEAN, N.Y. — A Portville man who allegedly headbutted an Olean General Hospital security guard and threatened Olean police with a knife late Monday night was arrested without further incident.
Officers with the Olean City Police Department responded to the hospital at approximately 11 p.m. on a report of a combative man, authorities reported Tuesday. After a brief confrontation, Robert L. Nelson, 46, of Butternut Brook Road, was charged with third-degree assault, second-degree menacing, fourth-degree criminal mischief and resisting arrest, all class A misdemeanors; and disorderly conduct, a violation.
“I don’t know what this guy’s problem was. I know he was over there to be treated,” Police Chief Jeff Rowley said Tuesday. “Why he got mad at the security guard, I don’t know.
“The responding officers were prudent in their response. Nobody got hurt. We had to physically take this guy into custody.”
Upon police arriving, Nelson did comply with an order to surrender the knife, but he resisted being apprehended, Rowley said.
“We deal with people with knives on a daily basis. In one narrative, he was making a motion he was going to stab the car. The other narrative is that he orally threatened the officers,” the chief added. “Fortunately, we were able to get him into custody without harming himself, and none of the officers were injured, so it worked out OK.”
The security guard, who has not been publicly identified, has already returned to work, said Dennis McCarthy, vice president of marketing and communications at Upper Allegheny Health System.
“Unfortunately, there are times in any emergency department when hospital staff have to deal with disruptive behavior. This was one of those times,” McCarthy said. “We are happy that the security guard was not seriously injured in the course of doing his job.”
Nelson was charged, processed and returned to Olean General for the medical treatment he earlier was seeking, Rowley said.
Nelson was arraigned in Olean City Court and was remanded to Cattaraugus County Jail in Little Valley in lieu of $1,000 bail or $2,000 bond.
