A New York man has been arrested on two counts of attempted murder following a standoff with police.  New York State Police charged 70-year old Stewart Mercay of Dover on Saturday. 

Troopers responded to a Wingdale home early in the morning on a report of a man, later identified as Mercay, who fired two shotgun rounds through the living room window of his neighbor’s house.  Mercay later refused to come out of his home. 

State Police attempted negotiations for nearly 11 hours before he was taken into custody.  Troopers say he vented propane gas from the kitchen stove, and lit a candle before exiting through a rear door, placing law enforcement in danger of an explosion.

Members of the New York State Police Special Operations Response Team, Crisis Negotiation Unit, Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office, Dutchess County Department of Emergency Response, and Northern Dutchess Paramedics responded to the scene.