A 58-year-old Canaan man is facing a felony weapons charge after New York State Police say he displayed a handgun during a heated road-rage confrontation with a FedEx driver near Route 20 in New Lebanon on Tuesday. Neil R. Feathers was arrested following the incident and arraigned before being released to await his next court date later this month.
According to dailygazette.com, Feathers was arrested by New York State Police after the verbal altercation broke out near 492 Route 20 in the town of New Lebanon, with the outlet placing the time at about 1:50 p.m. A separate account from news10.com puts the confrontation near a Stewart's Shops on Route 20 at around 1:45 p.m., so the exact minute remains slightly in dispute between the two reports even as the location and outcome line up.
Police say Feathers displayed a handgun during the dispute, escalating what started as a roadway argument into a criminal case. The New York State Police confirm he was charged with criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, a class C felony, along with menacing in the second degree, a class A misdemeanor.
From the Roadside to the Courtroom
Feathers was arraigned in New Lebanon Town Court following his arrest, according to the same news10.com report, and was released on his own recognizance pending further proceedings. The station notes that his case is scheduled to return to court on October 22.
Details that would round out the picture — including whether the handgun was ever recovered, whether it was loaded, or how the FedEx driver described the confrontation — have not been made public in the reporting so far. Likewise, there is no confirmed account yet of any attorney representing Feathers as the case moves forward.
The New Lebanon Case
The incident involved a verbal road-rage dispute on Route 20 in Columbia County, and Feathers faces a felony weapons charge. Daily Gazette and NEWS10 reported the incident on October 14, before Newport Dispatch published its report on October 15. Feathers is scheduled to return to court on October 22.
