Man charged in Valley ER incident has history of weapons charges
Sherri Borden Colley | CBC News | Posted: October 19, 2016 7:53 PM | Last Updated: October 19, 2016
Mark Balzer, 60, was arrested with weapons on Marine Atlantic ferry in 2010
A 60-year-old man facing gun-related charges after an Oct. 3 incident in the emergency room at Soldiers Memorial Hospital in Middleton was also charged with threatening to kill police officers in Newfoundland in 2010.
RCMP arrested Mark Baltzer of North Kentville after receiving a call about an armed man causing a disturbance at the hospital.
Baltzer is charged with possession of a firearm while prohibited, unauthorized possession of a Remington .22-calibre rifle without a licence and careless use of a firearm.
Psychiatric exam ordered
He is undergoing a 30-day psychiatric assessment at the East Coast Forensic Hospital in Dartmouth to determine whether he is fit to stand trial. He is set to appear in Digby provincial court on Nov. 3.
Cpl. Jennifer Clarke, spokeswoman for the Nova Scotia RCMP, said she could not release further details about the hospital incident because the case is before the court.
In June 2010, Baltzer was arrested aboard a Marine Atlantic ferry after a passenger contacted RCMP with a report that the man was planning to kill police officers in Corner Brook, N.L.
Diagnosed with bipolar disorder
RCMP searched his car and found weapons, including a machete, a rifle and a crossbow.
Following a psychiatric assessment, Baltzer was found not criminally responsible for those charges after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Last year, while a patient at the East Coast Forensic Hospital, Balzer drove away from the facility. He was located the following day in Cumberland County.