A Palmerton couple has been charged with holding another man at gunpoint and threatening to kill him.

According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by Shawn Leadbetter of the Palmerton Borough Police Department against Joseph and Danielle Blair:

At 8:21 p.m. Saturday, Leadbetter was dispatched to a home in the 500 block of Lehigh Avenue for a fight in progress.

Leadbetter arrived on scene and multiple people were yelling at him that a man, identified as Joseph Blair, 55, was holding another man at gunpoint in the yard next to the home.

When police ordered Blair to drop the gun, a loaded Smith and Wesson 9 mm handgun, he threw it on the ground and was taken into custody with no further incident.

Witnesses told police that Blair walked over into the yard and held the victim at gunpoint for several minutes until police arrived.

A witness had video and said Blair made several racial slurs at the victim on several occasions during the encounter.

Blair told police he saw his neighbor involved in a fight with his wife and he ran over with his gun to help her.

At 9:04 p.m. patrolman Brian Stern of the Palmerton Borough Police Department was dispatched to the residence.

A witness said Danielle Blair, 46, left her porch and walked in the street, screaming at a neighbor, yelling obscenities.

The victim said Danielle also yelled, “I will (expletive) kill you.”

Leadbetter and Stern had advised Danielle on multiple occasions during the previous incident to stop screaming.

Stern detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from her.

Leadbetter and Stern went to Danielle’s residence in the 500 block of Lehigh Avenue, knocked on the door and announced their presence as police officers multiple times.

Another neighbor told police Danielle was in the house.

Danielle didn’t respond to police.

The fire department was then dispatched and were able to gain entry through the front door, and police took her into custody.

Stern then spoke to the victim, who said that he was sitting on his porch when Danielle started screaming obscenities at him, and said that, “I will (expletive) kill you” to him.

The victim then said that Danielle came onto the property, shaking the fence and yelled and screamed at him.

Danielle admitted to police that she drank alcohol and screamed at the victim.

Joseph Blair faces charges of aggravated assault with deadly weapon; reckless endangerment; ethnic intimidation; disorderly conduct; public drunkenness; and harassment.

Danielle Blair faces charges of terroristic threats; disorderly conduct; and public drunkenness.

Both are incarcerated in the Carbon County Correctional Facility, Joseph in lieu of $100,000 straight bail, and Danielle on $10,000 bail, and are scheduled to have their preliminary hearings May 27 before District Judge William Kissner of Palmerton.