San Benito County Sheriffs responded to reports of a body in his home, apparently as bait to lure police into a confrontation .
Mark Hlaldky, a resident on Tevis Trail and lecturer at the Naval Post Graduate Defense Resources Institute in Monterey, was arrested by law enforcement officers after barricading himself in his home. He had prepared a low bunker on the street built of telephone poles, tires and sheet metal. The bunker contained several weapons and ammunition. He was dressed in camouflage, with a Kevlar helmet and vest, ready to do battle. Sheriffs were able to talk him into surrendering without incident. Hladky was arrested by undercover officers and booked at the San Benito County Jail on felony charges with no bail.
Spring Grove School, which was visible across a field from the scene, was placed under lockdown during the incident.
Kari Hough, a nearby neighbor, said that law enforcement had been out to the home several times to address issues with Mr. Hladky. She said that there had been other incidents with the police addressing Mr. Hladky at gun point. She said that he had, a day or two before, been heard loudly arguing with his girlfriend and had threatened to “put a bullet in her head.”
San Benito County Sheriff Captain Tony Lamonica said that Hladky was the subject of an ongoing domestic violence investigation.
The Sheriffs Department said that a large number of firearms were taken from Hladky’s residence.
According to the Naval Post Graduate School website, “Mark Hladky received a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Management from the University of Oregon (1987) and an MBA from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (2000). He is a 2002 graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. He has served in numerous field artillery and comptroller assignments in the U.S. and overseas, most recently as the Deputy Comptroller of Multi-National Corps Iraq and 18th Airborne Corps, Baghdad, Iraq. He is a Certified Defense Financial Manager and joined the DRMI faculty in April 2006.”