Walkerton man faces felony counts in standoff

WALKERTON — A 33-year-old Walkerton man is facing 10 felony charges after allegedly trapping his family inside their home Monday night and firing shots at police officers, who were staged outside. According to charging documents, Matthew D. Rozinski locked his wife and two children, ages 6 and 10, in an upstairs bedroom, and told police that he would kill his family if police came too close. As the St. Joseph County SWAT team was en route, Rozinski released the two children, but fired two shots toward his father-in-law and two police officers standing in the street, according to charging documents. While Rozinski was firing, his wife escaped out the back door of the residence, in the 600 block of Jackson Street. She had injuries consistent with being strangled and beaten, police said. Rozinski held police in a standoff for several hours, until St. Joseph County Assistant Chief John Botich convinced Rozinski to exit the residence. On Thursday, the St. Joseph County prosecutor’s office filed the following charges against Rozinski: Attempted murder, a class A felony; three counts of criminal confinement, a class B felony; battery; strangulation; criminal recklessness; and three counts of pointing a handgun, all class D felonies. Bond for Rozinski has been set $150,000 corporate surety or $15,000 cash. He is being held in the St. Joseph County Jail and is scheduled to be arraigned at 1 p.m. today in St. Joseph Superior Court.