Charges to be dropped against retired cop

Criminal charges will be dropped against a retired Nassau police sergeant accused of pointing his gun at a teenage prankster, as long as he stays out of trouble for the next six months.

James Mattimore, 61, of Levittown, received an Adjournment in Contemplation of Dismissal on charges of second-degree menacing, a misdemeanor, a spokesman for Nassau District Attorney Kathleen Rice confirmed Tuesday.

Mattimore's lawyer, William Petrillo, of Rockville Centre, said his client, a 30-year police veteran and certified Homeland Security instructor, acted appropriately in March when he saw a teenager leave a backpack near a pole in a strip mall in Levittown.

Petrillo said Mattimore confronted the teen, who began to move toward him.

Mattimore then removed his gun from his waistband and ordered the teen to the ground, Petrillo and prosecutors said.

The teen later told police he was playing a prank on a friend -- the owner of the knapsack -- who was in a vehicle parked nearby.

"He did what we're all told to do: If you see something, say something," Petrillo said. "He never should have been charged in the first place."