FISHKILL – An 89-year-old Town of Fishkill man was arrested after allegedly waving a legally owned handgun around in town hall. The incident occurred in Fishkill Town Hall on March 20, at approximately 10 a.m. but was not reported to town police until 6:49 p.m. that evening.
Mid-Hudson News first learned of the incident a week later after receiving more than one email from town employees who were concerned about the lack of information that was made available.
According to Fishkill Town Supervisor Ozzy Albra, he was informed approximately two-and-a-half hours after the incident on March 20 that a situation had taken place in town hall in the area of the town clerk’s office. He contacted the reporting employee to see if the subject, accused of “waving a gun around and pointing it in the direction of the employee” was still in the building. After being told the subject had left, he arranged to meet with the employee that evening in town hall at 6:30 p.m. After interviewing the employee, Albra said he called the police department, which is next door to town hall.
Police Lieutenant Paul Schettino said that a detective interviewed the employee and he was told that the armed man was a “town resident who displayed a handgun at her counter,” and gave the detective the man’s name: John Jackson.
The following day, Fishkill detectives interviewed Jackson at his residence and confiscated the handgun believed to have been displayed in town hall. With additional evidence, the detectives filed for an emergency order in Dutchess County Court, seeking to have all firearms removed from the man’s custody. With the subject gun in police custody, the hearing was held on March 27 in Poughkeepsie and the order was granted.
Police returned and arrested Jackson and charged him with misdemeanor menacing. The elderly man was arraigned in Fishkill Justice Court and released on an appearance ticket for a future court date. Fishkill Town Justice Ray Raiche also granted a temporary order of protection on behalf of the “upset” town employee.
“This is a sign of the times,” Schettino said. “We encourage everyone to be aware of their surroundings and suspicious behavior at all times and advise them to report incidents to the police immediately.” When questioned about the amount of time that had passed between the alleged brandishing of the gun and the call to police, Schettino said, “We are here to protect everyone in Fishkill, including our fellow town employees. We do not advise anyone to wait hours before reporting an incident involving a firearm. We can protect people, but we need to know about the incident first.”
Albra authorized two administrative leave days for the employee to recover from the experience at home. The town supervisor also indicated that he sent an email to town employees on March 27 indicating that safety improvements will be implemented in the building.
The email sent to all town staff included recommendations from Police Chief Keith Dworkin and the town board. The recommendations include:
- Panic alarms throughout town hall, recreation, and highway department buildings.
- Proper signage indicating that firearms are prohibited throughout the campus.
- Emergency preparedness training for employees.
- Creation of a safety committee.
- Police patrols throughout town hall on a regular basis.
Albra said town officials would entertain any other safety recommendations.
