Freeport man convicted of burglary
A jury convicted a Freeport man of breaking into a Rockville Centre home and then trying to grab the gun of one of the officers who arrested him, prosecutors said Friday.
Jerry Valery, 41, faces up to 25 years in prison after his conviction on two counts of first-degree burglary, two counts of second-degree assault, second- and third-degree attempted robbery and resisting arrest, the Nassau County district attorney's office said in a news release.
The jury in Mineola took about three hours Thursday to convict Valery, who is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge David Sullivan on July 30.
Prosecutors said Valery entered an Allen Avenue home on Nov. 22, 2010, by pushing in a window air conditioner. He stole jewelry and electronics, prosecutors said. Valery tripped the home's burglar alarm, and two Rockville Centre police officers responded, prosecutors said.
Valery was confronted by the officers in the home and fought with them, prosecutors said. He punched them and grabbed one of their firearm holsters before they used a stun gun on him and arrested him. Both officers were treated for minor injuries.
The defendant had claimed he was supposed to meet a woman at that address, and that he was never inside the home. "This situation. . . underscores the danger law enforcement personnel face every day," Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice said. She said thanks to good police work, "a dangerous criminal is off our streets and facing a lengthy prison sentence."
