Man involved in standoff with deputies and troopers given at least two years in prison
A Batavia man who swung a knife at a sergeant from the Sheriff's Office during a two-hour standoff in July will spend two- to six-years in State Prison.
Jody B. Gillette, 50, of 8 Pine Hollow Drive, who has been arrested several times over the years, including two recent allegations of DWI, admitted to Judge Robert C. Noonan that his biggest problem is alcohol.
"I'm a person who drinks and can't shut it down," said Gillette. "It's obvious. And I have anger issues. I should have gone to anger-management classes a long time ago."
Neighbors and friends of Gillette's sent letters to Noonan prior to Tuesday's sentencing urging a non-prison sentence, telling Noonan that Gillette is a very nice person when he's not drinking.
Sgt. Thomas Sanfratello made a victim statement and said Gillette was alternately calm and dangerously angry during the two-hour standoff in the trailer park July 26. He said eventually officers were able to deploy a Taser, which slowed Gillette down, but Gillette almost got back on his feet before he was apprehended.
"He's been on a downward spiral and somebody who is a danger to himself or others when he is drinking," Sanfratello said. "He is a threat to society and deserves incarceration for the maxium period of time."
Gillette said he first got into trouble in 1975 when he was consuming marijuana and alcohol. He was arrested for buglary and put on probation, which he soon violated.
"I was young and rebellious," Gillette said.
Eventually, Gillette went to college, completed parole, and after his second DWI arrest realized he couldn't even have one drink of booze. He said he was clean and sober for more than a decade.
Then he was laid off, lost his house, lost his long-time girlfriend and became angry and depressed, he said.
Assistant District Attorney Melissa Cianfrini said to this day his mobile home roommates don't know why Gillette became angry that day, but Gillette accused both of them of not paying rent and one of them of eating his dinner that evening.
At one point turning the standoff, Gillette waved a sword and assumed a samurai stance, threatening Deputy Chad Minuto.
Public Defender Gary Horton said that Gillette has shown that he can stay sober for a lengthy period of time and should be given a chance at rehab.
Noonan said if Gillette was accused of purely an alcohol-related offense, such as DWI, he might take into consideration his periods of sobriety, but given the seriousness of the events in July, a term in prison was appropriate.
"This very easily could have ended up in a terrible tragedy," Noonan said.
Gillette still has two pending DWI charges, including one stemming from a rollover accident in February 2011.