Police: Man Charged After Drunken Confrontation With Paramedics

ROSEVILLE (WWJ) - A 50-year-old Roseville man is facing charges after police say he threatened a rescue team that came to help him.

According to Roseville Police Chief James Berlin, a fire department paramedics team was called to an apartment in the 30000 block of Sandhurst last Friday to aid a man who reportedly had fallen.

There was no answer at the door, so they entered, fearing the victim could be incapacitated. Once inside the apartment, Berlin said, the paramedics "were confronted by the highly intoxicated homeowner ... who was armed with a 25 cal. handgun. "

The paramedics attempted to communicate with the man, identified as Roseville resident Steven Philip Dekane, who "just stared and continued to point the gun at them."

Fearing for their safety, the paramedics called for police backup. Berlin said responding officers were able to make contact with Dekane who was intoxicated and totally uncooperative.  Eventually they were able to get Dekane to put the gun down, but officers had to physically subdue him in order to take him into custody.

No one was hurt.

According to police, it later came to light that Dekane had called his sister claiming he had fallen and needed help, and she'd called 911. The suspect had merely suffered a scrape to his shin as a result of his fall and "apparently due to his intoxication felt he was hurt worse than he was." Police said Dekane refused to explain why he pointed the weapon at the paramedics.

Dekane was charged with one count of assault with a dangerous weapon, a four-year felony, and one count of brandishing a firearm, a misdemeanor. He stood mute and an arraignment in Roseville's 39th District Court on Monday and a guilty plea was entered for him.

He was freed on an interim bond of $7,500 cash or surety pending a preliminary hearing set for Feb. 5.