CARMEL — Five weeks after his sudden retirement from the
Brewster Police Department, Pat Frezza snapped inside his Mahopac home last
March, firing several rounds from a pistol as his wife and children fled.
Frezza, who retired from the Yonkers Police Department
before becoming a part-time K-9 officer in Brewster, had been held in the
Putnam County jail since his arrest.
He learned Tuesday night that he will spend more time there
after Town Justice Thomas Jacobellis sentenced him to 18 months in jail for the
March 30 outburst.
“Although you had a distinguished career in law enforcement,
the events of this day were serious,” Jacobellis told him. He later added, “I
hope you live a productive life upon your release.”
Carmel police said Frezza, 51, fired a .45-caliber handgun
about 8 a.m. March 30 inside his Wayacross Road home after arguing with his
wife, who fled and called police.
Neighboring homes were evacuated as police negotiators
persuaded Frezza to surrender.
Police said they found a cache of firearms inside the home,
several of which were placed in one room, leading them to suspect Frezza may
have considered shooting it out.
Because he was not convicted of a felony, Frezza could
conceivably own guns in the future.
What prompted his behavior remains a mystery. Frezza had no
arrests before the March 30 incident and was well-respected in the law
enforcement community, especially among K-9 handlers.
Brewster Police Chief John Del Gardo, reached Wednesday,
declined to comment on Frezza.
Frezza worked with a German shepherd name Cezar until the
dog’s death in late 2011. In April of that year, Cezar sniffed out a box
containing 10 pounds of marijuana during drug-detection training at a Newburgh
parcel warehouse. The box was not part of the training session.
In February 2012, Brewster police introduced Frezza’s newest
K-9 partner, Cobra. But within three weeks, Frezza resigned and Cobra was
returned to the handlers who donated the dog.
The standoff at Frezza’s home took place five weeks later.
Frezza pleaded guilty in December to misdemeanor counts of
reckless endangerment and child endangerment.
He was initially charged with several felony and
misdemeanors counts.
Frezza received 12 months for the reckless endangerment
charge and six for the child endangerment, to run consecutively, under a plea
deal.
But defense attorney Christopher X. Maher of Carmel said
Frezza would get credit for time served and could gain early release with
credit for good behavior.
Jacobellis issued a five-year order of protection for
Frezza’s estranged wife and partial orders for their children. Jacobellis
explained the partial orders will not forbid Frezza from seeing his children
but will set guidelines for his behavior with them.