Police: Elmont man menaced teens

An Elmont registered sex offender menaced three teenage girls walking to school Monday before barricading himself in his home for four hours, police said.

The girls, 16 and 17, were walking in front of Patrick Rogers' house at 236 Fieldmere St., at about 7:40 a.m. when police said he "lunged" at the 16-year-old, prompting all of the girls to flee.

"The defendant, after yelling and briefly chasing after the victims, retreated back into his house after announcing to a neighbor that he was going to get a knife," police said in a news release.

Rogers, 54, a registered level three sex offender, refused to open his doors when police arrived, authorities said. Officers surrounded his house for the next four hours and tried to talk him into coming out. At about 12:30 p.m. they succeeded.

Police said Rogers had turned on his stove for an "extended period of time," releasing natural gas into the house.

Rogers was taken to a hospital for evaluation. He was charged with first-degree reckless endangerment, endangering the welfare of a child and three counts of third-degree menacing. An arraignment date has not been set.