North Huntingdon man pleads guilty to assault, endangerment in standoff with police

Jeff Himler, Tribune-Review, Greensburg, Pa.
·2 min read
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May 20—A North Huntingdon man has pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and other charges stemming from a July 28 standoff with authorities, triggered when police said he fired 15 to 20 gunshots inside his home.

Westmoreland County Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio on Friday sentenced 42-year-old Adam Plecenik to up to 23 months in prison, followed by five years of probation in the case. He will be credited with 172 days already served in jail.

He also must undergo drug and alcohol and mental health evaluations, must complete an inpatient treatment program and may not possess any firearms.

The six-hour standoff followed after police responded to a 911 call from Plecenik stating that a man was at the rear of his Ivanhoe Drive home wearing a Ghillie suit — a camouflage suit worn by snipers — and that the man was armed with a .30-06 rifle, according to a complaint filed by state police.

In an additional call, Plecenik indicated an unknown male was inside his home and that he'd been taken hostage, police said.

When two patrolmen approached the residence, a shot was fired from within the home — the first of at least 15 rounds, according to police. A muzzle flash could be seen on the home's front porch when the officers identified themselves, the complaint noted.

When an officer made contact with Plecenik by phone, he sounded delusional, "talking to himself and others within the residence," police said.

No one else was found inside the residence when Plecenik eventually surrendered peacefully to police. Before that happened, state police deployed an armored vehicle to the scene, cordoned off the area and discharged tear gas and flash bang grenades.

Plecenik also pleaded guilty to single counts of simple assault and a false alarm to a public safety agency. A second set of assault and endangerment counts were dismissed.

Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jeff by email at jhimler@triblive.com or via Twitter .