East Stroudsburg resident faces assault charges after September incident involving hostage situation; formal arraignment scheduled for December in Monroe County Court

STROUDSBURG, PA – A 28-year-old East Stroudsburg man remains in custody at Monroe County Prison, awaiting formal arraignment on charges stemming from an eight-hour standoff with police that required SWAT intervention and left his mother trapped inside their Walnut Grove Road home.

Alexander Ball is scheduled for formal arraignment on December 22 at 8:30 a.m. before Monroe County Judge Jonathan Mark. The arraignment was originally scheduled for November 10 but was rescheduled by court order.

Upcoming Court Date:

• December 22, 2025, 8:30 a.m. – Formal Arraignment (Monroe County Court of Common Pleas, Courtroom 1)

Eight-Hour Standoff at Walnut Grove Community

The incident began on Wednesday, September 3, at approximately 11:35 a.m. when Stroud Area Regional Police were dispatched to Walnut Grove Road in Stroud Township for reports of a disorderly male destroying the “Walnut Grove” community sign with a hammer.

According to police reports, a witness saw Ball damage the community sign with a hammer, then return to his residence at 310 Walnut Grove Road and begin screaming on his back deck.

When officers arrived and attempted to make contact with Ball, they could only hear him screaming, cursing and breaking things inside the residence. Ball’s mother was observed inside the residence and visibly upset. Police say Ball told her she was not allowed to open the door and stood in front of the door with the hammer, physically preventing her from leaving.

“He informed his mom that she was not authorized to leave and saying things that did not make any sense,” police stated in their incident report. When Ball eventually retreated to the second floor of the residence, his mother was able to exit.

Major Police Response in Pocono Community

Officers established a perimeter around the home and notified neighboring residents to stay inside their homes. Mobile Crisis was requested to respond to the scene, along with additional officers and resources from multiple agencies.

Trained SARPD crisis negotiators attempted to establish communication with Ball for approximately three hours. Ball could be seen moving around in the house, yelling and responding incoherently, but refused to answer his phone. He eventually stated that he destroyed his phone with the hammer and continued to yell incoherently.

After unsuccessful negotiations and de-escalation tactics, officers obtained both a search warrant and an arrest warrant for criminal violations and a mental health evaluation.

SWAT Team Deployed in Monroe County

The SARPD SWAT team was dispatched to assist with the incident. After SWAT arrived, officers made numerous attempts to get Ball to surrender but were unsuccessful. SWAT eventually used breaching devices and deployed non-lethal chemical agents into the home.

Ball still refused to surrender, and SWAT officers entered the residence and took custody of Ball without incident at approximately 7:30 p.m. – more than eight hours after the initial call.

Ball was transported to a local hospital for evaluation, decontamination from the chemical agents, and a mental health evaluation.

Monroe County Man Held Since September

Following his release from the hospital, Ball was arrested by Stroud Regional Police Officer Emily L. Raymond and has been held at Monroe County Prison since September 12 on $75,000 bail.

A motion for bail modification was granted on September 24 by Magisterial District Judge Paul J. Gasper, but the monetary bail amount remained unchanged at $75,000.

The Charges

Ball faces five charges from the September 3 incident:

• Unlawful restraint with serious bodily injury (first-degree misdemeanor)
• False imprisonment (second-degree misdemeanor)
• Simple assault (third-degree misdemeanor)
• Criminal mischief – damage to property (third-degree misdemeanor)
• Disorderly conduct – hazardous/physically offensive condition (third-degree misdemeanor)

The unlawful restraint charge stems from Ball allegedly preventing his mother from leaving the residence. The false imprisonment charge relates to keeping her inside against her will.

Moving Through Monroe County Courts

The case was transferred from Magisterial District Judge Paul J. Gasper to Monroe County Court of Common Pleas in Stroudsburg on September 25. Assistant District Attorney James Thomas Fuller Jr. filed the formal information on November 10, along with notice of discovery.

Public Defender Jacob Thomas Hill entered his appearance for Ball on September 29.

At the December 22 formal arraignment in Stroudsburg, Ball will enter official pleas to all charges, and the court will establish the framework for how the case proceeds.

Ball will remain in custody at Monroe County Prison through the holidays unless bail arrangements change before his late December court date.

Multi-Agency Response

SARPD thanked multiple agencies that assisted during the eight-hour incident, including the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office, Mobile Crisis, Pennsylvania State Police, Monroe County Sheriff, Stroud Township Office of Emergency Management, Red Cross, Salvation Army, Bushkill EMS, and Suburban EMS.

Monroe County Case: CP-45-CR-0001627-2025
OTN: U 1014543-5
Incident Number: 2025-021418
Location: 310 Walnut Grove Road, East Stroudsburg

All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.