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HOLLIDAYSBURG -- A Williamsburg man will be on house arrest for six months, then probation for 3.5 years, to address two misdemeanor convictions from a July 4, 2020, incident where the man said he fired a shotgun to scare neighbors who were setting off fireworks that he believed were endangering his residence.
Blair County President Judge Wade Kagarise handed down the sentence Friday to Daniel Leroy Blazer Jr., 64, Wertz Road, who was convicted by a jury in October of simple assault and recklessly endangering another person and acquitted of seven additional offenses, including felony aggravated assault.
Kagarise, who presided over the trial where witnesses provided conflicting testimony, said he didn't see a need for a heavy-handed sentence to address a typical scenario of what happens when neighbors don't get along.
"I don't think you had any intent to harm them ... but you put them in fear," Kagarise told Blazer.
One of the neighbors testified at trial that Blazer aimed a shotgun at him and threatened to kill him if he didn't stop shooting off fireworks. That neighbor's sister said she thought her brother was going to be killed.
Blazer, who testified in his own defense, told the jury he aimed the 12-gauge shotgun at the ground and fired it close to his foot while standing on his own property.
Blazer said he retrieved the gun after yelling at the neighbors about their fireworks' residue landing on his house, when portions of his house were covered with plastic as a protective measure.
Assistant District Attorney Nicholas Mays asked the judge to consider a county sentence of three to 12 months' incarceration, followed by 12 months' probation to address Blazer's reckless actions.
"He literally shot a firearm into the air, into a crowd of people, on a holiday," Mays told the judge.
Blazer later challenged that statement and told Kagarise: "He said I fired at people but I fired at the ground, near my foot and not at people."
Testimony also indicated that Blaze used a flashlight to strike a neighbor on the head during a scuffle, but Blazer said the neighbor had attacked him and forced him to the ground.
Mays told Kagarise that the victims weren't in court and hadn't provided statements for the sentencing hearing because they were upset by what happened at trial.
Defense attorney Mark Zearfaus asked for a probationary sentence on the misdemeanors. Zearfaus said that since July 2020 when charges were filed, Blazer has reported every two weeks to the county parole and probation office.
"He's shown he can follow the rules," Zearfaus said.
When imposing the sentence, Kagarise handed down two years' probation on the simple assault conviction and designated the first six months of the probation to be served on house arrest. Then the judge imposed an additional two years of probation for the reckless endangerment conviction.
While on house arrest, the judge said Blazer will be allowed to leave his residence for basic necessities and medical appointments, as permitted and monitored by the county parole and probation office.
Blazer's sentence also forbids him from having contact with the victims and to write an apology letter within a year to be submitted to the district attorney's office. The sentence also prohibits him from possessing firearms.
Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 814-946-7456.