Ex-NYC policeman gets 5 years in prison for holding school superintendent at gunpoint
By APTuesday, January 26, 2010
Ex-NYC policeman gets 5 years in school invasion
NEW CITY, N.Y. — A former New York City policeman has been sentenced to five years in prison for holding a school superintendent at gunpoint.
The Rockland County district attorney’s office said Peter Cocker was also barred from contacting South Orangetown Superintendent Ken Mitchell for 10 years. The sentencing was Tuesday.
The 37-year-old Tappan resident had pleaded guilty to second-degree kidnapping.
Last June, he stormed past a guard into a middle school and threatened to shoot Mitchell. The superintendent disarmed him during a struggle.
Police later said the gun was not loaded.
Prosecutors said Cocker had a sick child and was upset over the schools’ swine flu policy.
The defense said Cocker suffered from post-traumatic stress suffered while working for the New York Police Department.
