A Red Hook man is facing a felony charge after police say he pulled out what looked like a handgun during a standoff with an officer who had come to his trailer park home to investigate a stolen pizza order. Matthew P. Warnecke, 57, initially refused to drop the weapon, which turned out to be a black Daisy CO2-powered BB gun, before eventually setting it down, according to police.
The confrontation unfolded on October 2 at the Mountain View Mobile Home Park at 155 Metzger Road in Dutchess County, according to Daily Voice. Police said an officer was dispatched to the park around 9:15 p.m. after a Rhinebeck pizza restaurant owner reported that a delivery driver had brought two pizzas to a resident who took them without paying.
When the officer arrived and knocked on Warnecke's door, Warnecke invited him inside, per police. Once in the living room, the officer saw Warnecke holding what appeared to be a handgun in his right hand, according to police, who also said Warnecke was intoxicated at the time.
Officer Drew His Weapon as Warnecke Refused to Comply
The officer responded by drawing his own service weapon and repeatedly ordering Warnecke to drop the gun, police said. Warnecke initially refused before eventually putting the weapon down, according to the same account. Officers then determined the gun was not a firearm at all, but a black Daisy CO2-powered BB gun.
Warnecke was detained and taken in for processing, then released with a future court date, police said. The outcome of that court appearance has not been made public.
Charges Announced Days After the Encounter
Police announced on October 6 that Warnecke had been charged with felony menacing of a police officer, along with misdemeanor larceny and theft of services, in connection with the pizza and the standoff that followed. Under New York law, menacing a police officer or peace officer is classified as a class D felony, according to the New York State Senate. Petit larceny, meanwhile, applies when a person steals property, per the New York State Senate's penal code. Theft of services is treated as a class A misdemeanor under a separate section of state law maintained by the same body.
It remains unclear whether Warnecke has entered a plea in the case. No booking photo, body-camera footage or independent account of the encounter has been released.
