Dutchess Man Accused Of Shooting At Neighbor's House

DOVER, NY — A Dutchess County man was accused of shooting a shotgun through a neighbor's window early Saturday morning. State police said Stewart M. Mercay, 70, of Dover, was charged with first-degree attempted murder and second-degree attempted murder, felonies, following a standoff with police.

Around 1:45 a.m., troopers responded to Cedar Lane in Wingdale for a report of a man, later identified as Mercay, who fired two shotgun rounds through the living room of his neighbor's house.

Police said he then went back into his house and refused to come out.

Members of the state police Special Operations Response Team, Crisis Negotiation Unit, Dutchess County Sheriff's Office, Dutchess County Department of Emergency Response and Northern Dutchess Paramedics responded to the scene.

State police tried to negotiate with Mercay for nearly 11 hours before he was taken into custody.

The investigation found Mercay had vented propane gas from the kitchen stove and lit a candle before leaving through a back door, placing law enforcement in danger of an explosion, police said.

He was arraigned in the Town of Dover Court and sent to the Dutchess County Jail without bail.

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