Jury fails to reach verdict on charge
Fayette County jurors deadlocked Thursday, unsure if a Uniontown man was guilty of recklessly endangering five people when he allegedly pointed a shotgun at city police and others who were sent to his home after a car accident. Gary Tracy testified that when an elderly woman crashed into the porch of his 142 Coolspring St. home on June 12, 2003, he wanted to go outside to see what happened. Uniontown police officer Jonathan Grabiak testified he asked Tracy to stay inside while police did their investigation.
But after he came outside a second time, Tracy testified, Grabiak got irate and started beating the screen door to his home and kicking it.
Tracy testified that he feared for his life and went back to his screen door, with a shotgun at his side.
Grabiak testified that he only asked Tracy to go back inside and said he never hit the man’s door. He testified that when he saw Tracy at the door, Tracy had the gun raised and pointed at police.
A 45-minute standoff ensued with police and Tracy, who was inside his home alone until his son, Clifford, arrived and went inside with him.
Police were able to get the men out after Tracy’s brother and brother-in-law talked him into surrendering.
Although jurors could not come to a verdict on the charges of endangerment, they did convict Tracy of disorderly conduct. He had also faced charges of aggravated and simple assault, but Judge John F. Wagner Jr. threw those charges out before jurors started their deliberations.
Prosecutors have the option of retrying Tracy on the reckless endangerment charges at a later date.