A former New York city police officer was sentenced to 5 years of jail time and 5 years of probation after he held a school superintendent against his will. Peter Cocker, 37, went to the South Orangetown Middle School with a gun and burst into Dr. Kenneth Mitchell's office. It is believed that Cocker held Mitchell hostage because he was disappointed in how the school was handling swine flu information.
LoHud reports that Cocker's charges included "first-degree criminal use of a firearm, second-degree burglary, third-degree burglary, first degree coercion and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon." He could have faced a maximum of 25 years in jail; however, after pleading guilty to second-degree kidnapping, Cocker was sentenced to a reduced term as part of his plea agreement.
The Mid-Hudson News reported that another factor that contributed to his lightened sentence was the fact that the .38 caliber gun that he used during his kidnapping was not loaded.
Cocker said, "I deserve everything I get. Thank God I didn't get everything I deserved."
Judge Catherine Bartlett, who approved the sentence felt that Cocker's past was being used as an excuse: his excessive and early drinking, mental-health illnesses and the horrors he witnessed as a NYPD officer (which included searching for bodies at ground zero).
Related Resources:
- Kidnapping (FindLaw)
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