Harve de Grace MD Oct 5 2018

Havre de Grace man who said he was checking into the hospital to detox allegedly assaulted six people after his pocket knife was taken away, city police said.

Havre de Grace police received a call around 7:15 p.m. Sept. 21 for a report of a disorderly person in the emergency room at Harford Memorial Hospital, according to charging documents.

When an officer arrived, hospital security guards had Kody Langelan, 33, of the 300 block of St. John Street, restrained in the middle of Lewis Street, Cpl. Dan Petz of Havre de Grace Police Department said.

Langelan had checked himself into Harford Memorial for opioid detox, according to the charging documents, and per hospital policy, guards searched him.

The guards found a knife and seized it, Petz said. Langelan became irate and checked himself out of the hospital, only to return shortly thereafter demanding his pocketknife back.

Because Langelan allegedly refused to leave, security guard had to physically remove him from the hospital property and restrain him to keep him from assaulting the guards.

Three security officers were injured during the incident — one had a sprained wrist, another suffered abdominal pain and a third was bruised on his right arm and torso, according to charging documents.

Langelan was arrested and charged with second-degree assault and disorderly conduct, but he allegedly continued to be verbally aggressive to police officers and refused to get in the back of the police car to be taken to the police department, according to charging documents.

Once in the car, Langelan began kicking the rear driver’s side window, so officers removed him and put on leg restraints. Langelan again allegedly refused to get back in the car, according to charging documents.

When he said he would bang his head on the glass, an officer chose to sit in the backseat with him on the way to the police department.

At the police department, Langelan became irate again and told the officers to take him back to Harford Memorial, according to charging documents.

He began picking at a wound on his right arm that was later determined to be an infection contracted from IV drug use, according to charging documents. His infection was so bad a skin graft was taken from his right thigh to close the wound.

Langelan began picking at it, throwing chunks of skin onto the floor of the processing room and bleeding profusely, according to charing documents. He said he wouldn’t stop picking until officers took him back to the hospital.

Medics eventually were able to bandage the wound to keep Langelan from getting to it, but at one point he jerked his arm upward and hit one of the officers, getting blood on his right wrist and arm.

Because of comments Langelan made and the “self-induced” injuries, police sought an emergency petition, according to court records.

When Langelan and police arrived at Harford Memorial, Langelan allegedly told security guards “I am going to get out of here. I will come sit in the parking lot, wait for you to get off work and follow you home and get you,” according to charging documents.

He allegedly tried to head butt medical staff who tried to sedate him and spit in an officer’s face.

Upon his release from the temporary commitment, Langelan was arrested Monday and charged with six counts of second-degree assault as well as single counts of disorderly conduct, trespassing and resisting arrest.

Langelan was taken to the Harford County Detention Center, where he was held without bail, pending a bail review hearing, which was held in Harford County District Court Tuesday.

Judge Susan Hazlett ordered Langelan to remain incarcerated without bail, over pleas from Langelan, who appeared over the closed circuit TV link from the jail that he would lose everything

The judge ordered him held on no bail, even though he pleaded that he will lose everything — his job, his house and family — if he cannot get out of jail.

“I’m going to lose everything I’ve worked for for the past 10 years,” Langelan said.

His public defender, Carmen Hogan, said Langelan has been married for eight years. She said he has his GED, has completed trade school and works in the construction field.

Hogan said her client has mental health issues and was not taking medication at the time of the incident, but he has since been taking medication regularly.

Assistant State’s Attorney Salvatore Fili described the facts of the case reported by police, including the confrontation with security guards that started over the removal of his pocket knife, the altercation with police and the removing of his skin graft,

Langelan pledged to do “whatever it takes” to get his life back in order.

Hazlett told the defendant that he is “very lucky” that he was not seriously injured or shot during the altercation with police. She declined to set a bail, saying she did not know what conditions she could set to ensure his safety if released from jail.

“I am concerned for your safety,” the judge said.

The Aegis

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