A Halfmoon man is sitting in the Saratoga County Jail after deputies say he violated an order of protection by threatening to hit another person with a wooden sconce, then broke the fixture and used it to strike a dining room table. Daniel C. Twardowski now faces five criminal charges stemming from the encounter, which investigators say unfolded on Oregon Trail earlier this week.
According to the Saratoga County Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to a report of a domestic incident on Oregon Trail on November 9. An investigation into what happened there led directly to Twardowski's arrest, the sheriff's office said.
Deputies determined that Twardowski violated an existing order of protection by frightening another person with a threat to hit them with the wooden sconce. Investigators further found that he broke the sconce apart and used it to strike a dining room table, according to the same account.
Five Charges Filed After Investigation
The sheriff's office said Twardowski was charged with first-degree criminal contempt, third-degree criminal mischief, second-degree menacing, and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon. He was also charged with intentionally damaging another person's property in an amount exceeding $250, per the same report.
The first-degree criminal contempt charge is notable because of how New York law treats it. Under state penal law, criminal contempt in the first degree is classified as a class E felony, the most serious of the charges Twardowski now faces.
Arraigned and Held Pending Further Proceedings
Twardowski was arraigned following his arrest and remanded to the Saratoga County Jail, where he remains pending further proceedings, the sheriff's office reported. No additional details about the circumstances of the incident, the other person involved, or the specific location on Oregon Trail have been made public.
