Putnam County Man Charged With Threatening Power Company On Facebook

COLD SPRING, N.Y.(CBSNewYork) -- Outrage over power outages has landed a professional musician in jail.

He took his anger to the Internet and now he's charged with a crime, reports CBS 2's Lou Young.

Walter Barrett is charged with a crime and the weapon was Facebook. His arrest came as a shock to the people who know him.

"He's a mellow guy. He doesn't lose it. He's one of the nicest guys in the world," said Roy Ettere, Barrett's cousin.

But Barrett -- a professional trumpet player -- is accused of losing it last week, threatening his electric company during the long storm-related blackout by venting his frustration on the company's Facebook page, using the last of his iPhone's battery.

"He threatened to hold hostage the utility company workers that he saw near his house, to make sure he was going to have his power restored," said A. Gerald Schramek of the Putnam County Sheriff's Office.

Barrett lives so far out in the Putnam County woods you might be surprised he ever has electricity. He was one of the last customers to get his power back and by the time the crews arrived his patience was long gone.

"He had to get out. His wife and him missed one concert on Sunday. His wife has to get to work. I mean, he just lost it," Ettere said.

A spokesman for Central Hudson Gas & Electric told Young a threat like this, especially in such an isolated area, had to be taken seriously.

Gordon Fine, Barrett's attorney, said it was a mistake induced by stress.

"A lot of people who were out, including myself, for up to a week without power and not getting answers from the power companies as far as when the power would come on and people handle frustration differently," Fine said.

The irony is that Barrett's home got the power back just as the police were hauling him off. Although he could get a year in jail for aggravated harassment, he hopes the charges will be reduced when he returns to court next month.

Central Hudson Gas & Electric had 166,000 customers in the dark after the freak October storm. By the time electricity was restored to Barrett's house on Thursday all but 50 customers had their lights back on.

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