A Norwalk Police Department sergeant is recovering at home after being severely burned with boiling water while responding to a call, and the suspect appeared before a judge Tuesday.

Police Sgt. James Belmont and four other police officers arrived at an apartment on Flax Hill Road around 10 a.m. Monday to check on a man who purportedly has mental health issues. According to police, that man, Andrew McClure, locked himself inside his apartment and yelled obscenities at officers.

"Fearing that he was going to harm himself, because he had threatened to jump out of a window, officers forced the door open and attempted to take him into custody," said Norwalk Police Department Sgt. Terry Blake. McClure threw a pot of boiling water on Sgt. Belmont after officers entered the apartment, according to Blake.

Police say Sgt. Belmont sprayed McClure with pepper spray and another officer used a Taser gun on him. Sgt. Belmont was later released from Norwalk Hospital after receiving treatment for severe burns on his neck and face.

McClure, whose family has told police he suffers from bipolar disorder and he hasn't been taking his medication, appeared before a judge Tuesday. Telling McClure that he appears to be a danger to himself and others, the judge set his bond at $75,000 and ordered him to undergo a mental evaluation if and when he posts bond.

In court, McClure told the judge that he wants to represent himself and that he found it odd when police arrived at his door. "Yes, I did do a bit of shouting from my rooftop, but at the end of the day, I didn't shout anything that was negative or condescending," McClure said in court.

He is charged with assaulting a police officer.