In keeping with his plea deal, David O'Connor, 55, was sentenced to 12-and-a-half years in state prision for using .22-caliber rifle to shoot out the window of a deputy's patrol car while the deputy was sitting in it during a traffic stop in Byron.
O'Connor's appearance in County Court was brief. Other than telling Interim Judge Michael Pietruszka, "No thank you, your honor," when asked if he'd like to make a statement, O'Connor said nothing.
If the case had gone to trial, O'Connor could have been looking at a 40-year-to-life sentence, if the jury had convicted him.
"On the other hand, if he had only been convicted of reckless endangerment first (degree), the maximum would have been seven years," said District Attorney Lawrence Friedman.
The plea deal also includes five years post-release supervision.
Outside of court, Friedman said O'Connor had been drinking the day of the shooting and that he made some anti-law enforcement remarks when deputies entered his room on the second floor of the Byron Hotel.
O'Connor reportedly told authorities that he had been aiming at the tires of the patrol vehicle while Deputy Andrew Hale sat in it.
This case is one of a few recently with weapons involved, where local law enforcement has exercised restraint in the face of potential dire consequences. In this case, after Hale's window was shot out, the only thing officers knew at first was that there was a man on the second floor of a building with a rifle. Yet, they managed to take him into custody without more gun fire.
"I'm glad to say that in this county, we've had a number of incidents where the police have shown admirable and appropriate restraint in situations like that," Friedman said.
