SMETHPORT — A Bradford man accused of making threats that provoked a police standoff at his home was sentenced Thursday in McKean County Court to a term in jail.
Frederick W. Angell II, 28, of Bradford, will serve 70 days to 18 months in McKean County Jail with credit for 25 days of time served. He will also complete 60 hours of community service, get an updated drug and alcohol evaluation and continue with the mental health treatment that he is receiving.
Angell pleaded guilty May 30 to a charge of terroristic threats with a deadly weapon enhancement. At that time, District Attorney Stephanie Vettenburg-Shaffer said that on Sept. 26, Angell communicated a threat to a McKean County 911 dispatcher that if police officers came to his house, he would kill them. Angell possessed a .45-caliber handgun at his home.
At Thursday’s sentencing hearing, Shaffer explained that police were dispatched to Angell’s home for a domestic incident with a gun, then the officers became the victims because of threats that he made. Not only was his family evacuated, but neighboring homes were evacuated, too.
Authorities stated at the time of his arrest that the standoff ended when Angell peacefully surrendered to police. No injuries were reported.
President Judge John Pavlock, who sentenced Angell, noted that he gave him a mitigated sentence due to the progress he has made with his mental health treatment since the incident.
Everyone seemed in agreement that Angell’s actions last September were the result of untreated mental health issues paired with alcohol addiction. Several people, including a professional involved in Angell’s treatment, provided letters to Pavlock on Angell’s behalf.
Angell’s father, Frederick Angell Sr., spoke to the courtroom for several minutes prior to sentencing.
“He’s a caring, wonderful, empathetic human being to others,” he said of his son.
The elder Angell talked about realizing back when his son started first grade that he was much taller than the other students. “From that day forward I made it my mission, my vocation” to make sure he taught his son to be gentle. “I’m proud of him. He is that man.”
The father said he and his son both realize the younger Angell needs to pay the consequences for his actions on Sept. 26, and his son has been under his supervision for the past eight months.
Angell’s attorney, James P. Miller, said his client’s employer “isn’t hesitant at all to have him back” to work. “This gentleman has done yeoman’s work since this incident occurred.”
For his part, Angell said, “I deeply, deeply apologize to all of the agencies and parties involved,” and he followed with a list that included the police, the fire department, his neighbors, his children and their mother, the judge and the district attorney.
Angell reiterated that his actions were the result of “a bad collision of alcohol and mental health that night” and asked “for leniency so I can continue to be a productive member of society” and continue treatment, which has helped him make “leaps and bounds in my life.”
In response, Pavlock described the seriousness of the scene, where Angell, who was experiencing mental health issues, had a shotgun and had threatened to kill police.
“Who got you up to that” situation? “It wasn’t the police; it was you,” said Pavlock. On the other side, he continued, “You have sought help.”
Pavlock noted that in one letter from a treatment professional, the writer said Angell has not only complied with the requirements but also show “immense growth.”
