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Men face assault and burglary charges following standoff

Three men were charged with aggravated assault and burglary following a 7-hour standoff on Franklin Street that ended Monday morning.

Joseph J. Bell, 23, of Pittsburgh, Kenneth T. Henry, 40, of Philadelphia and Michael L. Jackson, 24, also of Philadelphia, are accused of breaking into the home of Lisa Bishop on Sunday night and holding a gun under her chin while demanding to know where “Ginger” was.

Bishop called 911 at 9:04 p.m. Sunday to report the break-in.

Tear gas was eventually used to end the standoff. The Allegheny County SWAT team found the men hiding above 430 Franklin St. in the shared attic.

The same building houses both 428 and 430 Franklin St.

The three men also are charged with simple assault, illegally possessing firearms, recklessly endangering another person and criminal conspiracy.

All three men are jailed in Butler County Prison in lieu of $100,000 bail each.

A fourth man, Janeal Armstrong, 32, of Philadelphia, was charged with possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and possession of a small amount of marijuana after police found him hiding in an alcove behind the residence.

According to the affidavit, Armstrong was carrying 31 stamp bags of suspected heroin, two plastic bags containing suspected crack cocaine, three bags of suspected marijuana, and $700 in cash.

Police report the marijuana tested positive. The suspected cocaine and heroin were not field tested due to safety concerns of fentanyl-laced heroin.

Armstrong also is incarcerated in lieu of $100,000 bond.

All four defendants were arraigned Monday before Butler District Judge William Fullerton.

Bishop called 911 at 9:04 p.m. Sunday to report several men with guns and drugs broke into her residence.

Upon arriving at the scene, Butler police found Bishop in the living room.

According to the affidavit, “Bishop was hysterical. She pointed upstairs in her residence and told me 'they are up there; they have guns; they are looking for Ginger.'”

Police report in the affidavit that Bishop was taken outside before a commotion was heard upstairs and the men were told to surrender.

Another officer reported seeing a black man holding what appeared to be a gun trying to climb out of a window on the south side of the residence before retreating back inside.

Butler Township police and state police assisted Butler police in surrounding the building.

The SWAT team found Armstrong, then launched tear gas into the building and located the three other men inside the attic above 430.

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