Gun threat draws probation

A 25-year-old Gardnerville man who allegedly threatened a group of adult bicyclists with a loaded handgun was sentenced Wednesday to 90 days in Douglas County Jail, suspended, and placed on probation for one year.

Santino Calabrese pleaded guilty to misdemeanor drawing a deadly weapon in a threatening manner.

In exchange for his guilty plea Sept. 9, the district attorney dismissed a charge of possession of a dangerous drug without a prescription.

The event occurred June 11 on Buckeye Road.

According to reports, Calabrese never aimed the weapon at the cyclists, but pointed to the revolver in the front windshield of his vehicle.

"I want to apologize to the individuals and to the state," Calabrese said Wednesday. "I hope my actions prior to this speak louder than my stupidity."

He has no prior criminal activities and had been accepted for the Marine Corps Officers' Candidate School before he was eliminated for a health issue.

Lawyer Derrick Lopez, who presented East Fork Justice Pro Tem Paul Gilbert with several letters on Calabrese's behalf, said his client hoped to eventually be accepted for the program.

"Everything I've read indicates this probably was a horrible lapse in judgment," Gilbert said. "It appears you just made a stupid mistake."

He said Calabrese would be eligible to have his record sealed two years after he completes probation.

"This was just a momentary lapse," Lopez said. "This is a young man with a college degree who has never been in trouble before. The weapon was never pointed at anyone. His goal was to get the bicyclists to back away from the car, not to shoot anybody."

He was fined $632 and ordered to undergo an evaluation and any recommended treatment.