N.L. man faces 16 charges after standoff

A Bay Bulls, N.L., man appeared in a St. John's court on Sunday to face 16 charges, including five counts of attempted murder, after a weeklong standoff with police.

Leo Crockwell nodded after each charge was read. He asked if the names mentioned with the attempted murder charges were police officers, and once this was confirmed, he nodded that he understood the charges.

Crockwell, 55, was arrested Saturday — not at the scene of a house where RCMP officers were trying to coax him out, but at a home on Petty Harbour Road, on the outskirts of St. John's.

The Mounties confirmed later Saturday that Crockwell had somehow escaped after they cut power to the home and pumped in water in an attempt to force him to surrender. They said the noise of the water may have distracted police enough to allow him to slip out undetected.

A tip was called in and the RCMP made the arrest.

The Mounties allege Crockwell fired a shotgun on two separate days during the standoff, endangering the lives of their officers.

Other charges Crockwell faces include assault with a weapon, threatening to cause bodily harm, reckless use of a firearm, mischief and possession of a firearm without a licence.

He has been remanded in custody until a bail hearing Tuesday morning.