An Iowa City man was charged with first-degree harassment after he allegedly threatened to kill himself and his wife.

According to a complaint by Iowa City police, Brett Ayers, 49, allegedly called 911 around 1 a.m. on Nov. 26 to report he was going to kill his wife.

The complaint said Ayers’ wife stated he threatened to kill her with a kitchen knife. There were kitchen knives present in the home, according to the complaint.

Ayers allegedly denied threatening his wife, then told the officers that he planned to kill his wife, then himself, the complaint said. Ayers allegedly said his wife would suffer without him and he wanted to kill her before committing suicide.

The complaint said Ayers was arrested and taken to the hospital for evaluation.

—by Matt Starns