Chad A. Gelotte

A more than six-hour standoff and domestic violence charges will send a Warren man to state prison.

Chad A. Gelotte, 48, 215 Canton St., was sentenced by Judge Gregory Hammond on Friday.

Numerous agencies — city police, the Pennsylvania State Police Special Emergency Response Team (SERT), Warren-based state police, Warren County Sheriff’s Office, Conewango Township Police, Warren Fire Department and EmergyCare — responded to the scene in addition to multiple state police armored vehicles.

During the incident, which started shortly after noon on June 10 and was not resolved until after 6 p.m., several surrounding blocks were closed to traffic and neighbors were reportedly evacuated.

Police received a domestic violence complaint which alleged a June 8 incident.

Police allege Gelotte physically assaulted the victim and “left many physical injuries that were observed on the victim.”

“This involved facial injuries from (Gelotte) sitting on top of the victim’s chest and hitting her with a closed hand multiple times. (Gelotte) then threw the victim down a set of outside stairs causing injury.”

He then allegedly screwed doors shut “from the exterior, preventing her and the children’s escape…”

Police subsequently took the victim to Warren General Hospital for evaluation.

Officers then “attempted to arrest” Gelotte, the affidavit details. “At that time officers were unable to make entry into the residence to effectively arrest the defendant. Officers were able to see the defendant inside the residence and communicated with him verbally.”

Police detail that Gelotte was “told multiple times” to come outside and responded that “he was not coming out and to come back with a warrant. He then stated that if we came inside, ‘We better bring the body bags.'”

At that stage, police report, Gelotte walked away from the front door, which police tried unsuccessfully to kick open.

In court on Friday, Gelotte’s attorney, Timothy George, said his client has “made good use of his time” since the arrest and has “made no excuses, recognizing he is the one who has created his predicament (and) recognizes he is the one that needs to change.”

George cited Gelotte’s work history, treatment plan and noted that much of his prior record is over 20 years old.

He said his client has a “profound addiction” to alcohol. “He was on a bender.”

He asked for Hammond to consider a county sentence but District Attorney Rob Greene didn’t agree.

Greene said June 10 is “not a day the City of Warren is soon going to forget” and speculated that this is a “true story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” citing his alcohol use and said that the terror his conduct inflicted “cannot be overlooked.”

He asked for a state sentence for Gelotte.

Gelotte apologized to the officers, the community as well as his family.

Hammond noted that the whole incident started after Gelotte “brutally” assaulted his fiancee and “held her and two sons captive.”

He said he “can’t imagine the terror and trauma” his fiancee’s two young boys experienced. “Instead of realizing your mistake, you turned it into a standoff” which put the “entire neighborhood shut down on lock down.”

Hammond said he does not completely agree that the issue is entirely alcohol fueled.

“This just isn’t a guy with a drinking issue,” he said, explaining that he would not aggravate the sentence but “to suggest I can let you go today, I just simply cannot accept that.”

He said Gelotte needs drug and alcohol and mental health treatment and “the community needs to be safe” and told him that he “hope(s) this is the end of the road for you” with alcohol and that a state sentence is appropriate.

He was then sentenced to 12 to 36 months incarceration, $1,625 in fines and fees, drug and alcohol and mental health evaluations and compliance with recommendations, submission of a DNA sample and to have no contact with the minor victims involved in the incident on a count of terroristic threats.

On a second count of terroristic threats, he was sentenced to six to 18 months incarceration and a $500 fine; two to six months incarceration and a $500 fine on a count of resisting arrest; six months to 18 months and a $500 fine on a count of recklessly endangering another person and 10 months to 30 months and a $500 fine on a count of simple assault. He was given credit for 243 days time served and is not boot camp or recidivism risk reduction incentive eligible.