[naviga:img class="img-responsive" src="/Assets/news2018/SchryverVan.jpg" alt="Van C. Schryver"/]

Van C. Schryver

Van C. Schryver, who infamously engaged state police in an armed standoff at the Florence Griswold Museum 18 years ago, then threatened court staff days later with a gun he pulled out of his size 14 sneaker, did not do well, by his own admission, after being released from prison last year.

"I lost it," he said during an appearance Thursday in New London Superior Court, where he is charged with violation of probation.

Schryver is back in prison, which he had entered at age 18 and left at 36, serving a total of 18 years for shooting at state troopers and engaging them in a five-hour standoff inside the Old Lyme art museum and threatening judicial marshals with a 9 mm pistol he had smuggled into the courthouse.

He had pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree assault, carrying a pistol without a permit and first-degree reckless endangerment and was sentenced to 25 years in prison, suspended after 18 years, followed by five years' probation.

Within three months of his release in April 2018, Schryver's probation officer was writing out a warrant alleging Schryver had missed mental health appointments, failed to show up for drug testing, been discharged from group therapy for disruptive and sexually inappropriate behavior and tested positive for alcohol. He absconded from a Bridgeport halfway house, lied about obtaining a job at a corner store and left for parts unknown without notifying his probation officer, according to the warrant, which was signed by a state Superior Court judge on June 27, 2018.

Schryver turned up in Brattleboro, Vt., on June 30, where the Brattleboro Reformer newspaper reported he was charged with forcing his roommates to strip and pointing a gun at them over the alleged theft of $3,000 in drug money. Tracy Shriver, state's attorney for Windham County, Vermont, said by phone Thursday that the charges were dismissed "without prejudice," so that Schryver could be extradited to Connecticut to face the probation violation charges. She said the state of Vermont may reinstate its charges at a later date.

Schryver's father, Roy Schryver, a retired East Lyme music teacher, and stepmother, Beverly Schryver, had spoken candidly about their son's psychiatric and behavioral problems in an interview with The Day in April 2000. Van Schryver had been institutionalized in psychiatric facilities for much of his childhood and, later, juvenile detention. He said in court Monday that he only spent two years at home between the ages of 8 and 18. His parents did not immediately return a phone call Thursday afternoon.

His father told The Day during the 2000 interview that when Van was 8, he threatened classmates and drew violent pictures that disturbed his teacher. He acted violently toward his siblings and parents. Yale Medical Center doctors diagnosed him with several mental illnesses ranging from compulsiveness to bipolar disorder. He was placed in a juvenile detention center for stealing a car.

Schryver's violent tendencies continued as he grew into a giant of a man: 6 feet 9 inches tall and 230 pounds, according to court records.

During his 18-year prison stint and his most recent incarceration, he amassed 62 disciplinary tickets and spent months in segregation for offenses such as fighting, contraband, intoxication, disobeying staff, threats and self-mutilation, according to Department of Correction records.

In a federal lawsuit brought by an inmate who claimed the DOC failed to protect him from Schryver and others, Schryver is described as a member of the Aryan Brotherhood who once punched a black man for turning his back on him.

Schryver faces up to seven years in prison — the portion of his original sentence that had been suspended — if convicted of the probation violation.

During his court appearance Friday, Schryver asked Judge Hillary B. Strackbein to consider him for the Jail Reinterview Program, a diversionary program that could result in receiving treatment in the community rather than incarceration.

"He's requesting a (referral) to try to get himself some living skills so when he goes out, he doesn't go back to his old ways," his attorney, Linda J. Sullivan, said.

Prosecutor Lawrence J. Tytla objected, noting Schryver's probation officer, Marisol Perez, had tried to work with him but he blew off his meetings and therapy sessions and went missing from his transitional housing in Bridgeport.

"I see zero motivation on his part," Tytla said.

Schryver complained about the staff at the transitional housing and said a woman who had just been stabbed ran into one of the group meetings "squirting blood."

He said that when released, he didn't know how to get an apartment, use a phone or send an email. An internet search of his name, however, indicates that within days of his release, Schryver established a Facebook account and created a GoFundMe account called "Inking a New Future," which sought $5,000 in donations to open a tattoo business.

Schryver told the judge he liked his probation officer but she had wanted him to go on psychiatric probation, which he thought would be harder.

"I wanted to pretend everything was fine," Schryver said.

The judge denied his request to be considered for the diversionary program, and the discussion returned to how he would perform when he eventually is released again.

"I will concede Mr. Schryver makes some good points," said Tytla, the prosecutor. "He said a psychiatric probation would be more difficult. But there's a reason for that."

Schryver's next court date is March 12, when the officials indicated he might resolve his case. In the meantime, he is being held at the Corrigan-Radgowski Correctional Institution in lieu of a $200,000 cash or surety bond.

k.florin@theday.com