Cops in Pennsylvania confirmed that the the mother of suspected arsonist Cody Balmer asked for him to be committed less than three days before he allegedly set fire to the governor’s residence while Gov. Shapiro and his family slept inside — but said they couldn’t do anything to lock him up.
Christie Balmer reached out to Penbrook Borough Police on April 10 asking for help after he left their house and vanished, explaining that he’d been off his mental health medication for over a year and become “irritable and agitated,” the police department said in a statement Wednesday.
Days earlier on April 6, Christie had reached out to Crisis Intervention for help — but was rebuffed because he hadn’t been making any threats against himself or others.
“Because Balmer hadn’t made threats to himself or others it did not meet the threshold for an involuntary mental health evaluation,” police said.
The cops said that Pennsylvania law only allows involuntary commitment if someone is suicidal, harming themselves, unable to care for themselves or talking about hurting others.
Her 38-year-old son had also found out about the call to Crisis Intervention and become upset, Christie told police when she later called them on April 10, according to the department.
And she said the latest incident wasn’t the first time he’d left home, telling police he’d “run off” to other states before.
After the April 10 call police did track Balmer down to a hotel in nearby Shippensburg, but a clerk there said he’d checked out earlier and “appeared fine” the whole time, according to police.
Less than three days later, Balmer allegedly hopped the gates to Shapiro’s official residence in Harrisburg around 2. a.m., then smashed open a window and climbing inside before setting a room ablaze with Molotov cocktails made from Heineken bottles and lawnmower gasoline.
Christie previously told CBS News that she’d gone to at least four different police departments seeking help for her son — but had been unsuccessful each time.
It remains unclear exactly what mental health issues Balmer might suffer from. During his arraignment Monday he said only that he was aware of “the rumors” about his mental health, and claimed medication he’d been taken had resulted negative effects.
“Medication led me to different types of behaviors,” he told the court.
He appeared alarmingly gaunt with a wild beard while led into the courthouse in shackles — and stuck out his tongue at police and reporters as he was carried away.
Balmer — a father of several children — turned himself into police on Sunday.
He had been out on bail for an alleged 2023 assault on his wife and 10-year-old son when the attack on the governor’s mansion happened.
Shapiro’s historic home was left with an estimated millions of dollars in damages, but he and his family escaped the fire unscathed.
Balmer was charged with terrorism, aggravated arson, prowling at night, and criminal homicide.
